Path of the Chosen 2: Frail Heart
by Ferngirl
Summary: It was three years ago that Cara helped Mew escape from Giovanni. She thought that Team Rocket's plans to create a super clone died when Mew fled. But she's about to find that Team Rocket's plans aren't stopped so easily.
1. The Pictures on the Wall

Path of the Chosen 2: Frail Heart

So, I won't say much on the first chapter. It may seem a bit slow, but it's supposed to be peaceful. ^-^ The rest of the story will be anything but! Enjoy the moment of calm while you can!

The Pictures on the Wall

It was a good picture. It had good composition and focus, and was printed on high-quality paper. But that wasn't the reason so many people might give their right hand for it.

I smiled at the large photograph on the wall. It had been taken four years ago, not long after I'd started my Pokémon journey. I looked younger in the picture than I did now, at 14 years old. I think my appearance changed more than the rest of me. I was a taller and stronger, and I think a bit more mature, though Ben might disagree.

My eyes shifted to the other figure in the photograph: the reason the picture was so valuable. It was Mew. Not that I'd told anyone else about my encounters with Mew. Only Ben and I knew about her. As I'd once discovered, it could be dangerous to let others know that I had once been friends with Mew.

It was the first picture in a series. The one after it starred Zapdos, Aricuno, and Moltres. The three of them appeared to be standing in the midst of a battle that had ended only moments before. Ben had taken this picture too, though I have no idea how he found the time to do so considering the circumstances.

If it hadn't been for the three legendary birds, Mew wouldn't have escaped from Team Rocket. I still wondered what had happened to all of them. I hadn't seen any of them in three years.

The next picture in the series was actually taken before the one with Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres. I knew more about Ho-Oh now that I did when I took his picture, but I still didn't know much We'd seen Ho-oh for only a few moments. It was sort of an accident when we'd stumbled across him while he was asleep. That was when I'd taken the picture.

Ho-oh. The peacekeeper between humans and Pokémon. So few people had ever seen him…

I heard soft footsteps on the carpet and turned to find Ben walking up to me. He raised a hand in greeting and I smiled.

As always, Ben towered over me in height. He'd been my closest friend for as long as I could remember. By now, he practically classified as my brother.

"Ya thinking about her again? "Ben asked, nodding to Mew's picture.

I gave a small nod. "Yeah. We haven't seen her since she escaped."

"I hope she recovered okay," Ben muttered.

"She did."

"How do you know?"

I shrugged. "The dream."

I'd only told Ben about my dreams last year. I still didn't understand them myself, though I was pretty confident that they were linked with the same weak psychic powers that let me hear Pokémon thoughts.

I'd only had the dream a handful of times, usually right before I met Pokémon such as Mew or the legendary birds. I'd had it again last year just before I saw Lugia. Those dreams… they placed me on top of a hill that was surrounded by flat land in all directions. The colors were muted with varying shades of gray and brown, like an old photograph. But I had color. And so did Mew. She would visit me on that hilltop in my dreams. So would the other legendaries that I'd met, but except for Mew, the birds kept their distance.

I'd had that dream again last night. At the bottom of my hill ,there were many colorless, motionless statues, and as usual, no matter how much I focused, I couldn't get a clear view of them. It was almost like a haze was obscuring their details. And this time, one of the Pokémon statues had been closer to me than the others, but it was the blurriest of all. I could tell that it appeared vaguely human shaped.

"Anyway," I said after a brief lapse into silence, "in my dreams, Mew is always happy, so I know she's OK."

"Well, that's good at least."

I nodded. "Yeah."

I took one last glance around the living room. All our little trinkets we'd collected during our journey were lined up on the shelves. There were carvings of Corlsola horn and even swords made from the feathers of Skarmory among them.

"Yeah. Come one. Let's go and check up on the Pokémon."

Ben and I stepped outside to let the morning sun warm us. Avalon, as always, was beautiful. Bright green grass filled the field around the house, and the lake off to out left sparkled in the light. The trees of the distant forest shuffled in a breeze, and the faint layer of snow on the mountain's peak blended with the clouds.

It was a blessing to be allowed to live here.

As Ben and I walked towards the field, Polaris, my Ponyta, raised her head and trotted over to greet us.

I patted her head. Polaris was my first Pokémon, and pretty tough for a Ponyta. She was my favorite.

"Come on, Ben," I said pulling myself onto Polaris's back. "Get your Tauros and let's go for a ride."


	2. Hunt for a Legend

First thing. I just started a new Zelda fanfic in addition to this, so I'll be working on 2 fanfics at a time. We'll see how long I can handle it. So, anyway, that will most likely be my excuse if I don't update to my normal schedule. And go read my Zelda fanfic! Haha!

Has anyone ever noticed that it can be very difficult to find a title that's not really cheesy? Anyway, the subtitle I ended up picking for this was the least cheesy of the list I came up with. I'll make its significance clear in time. Who has the frail heart, why it's frail, ex.

And thanks to all of you in the last story who helped me with ideas about Lugia. I'm gonna get to them right about now!

Polaris-Ponyta, Nova-Ponyta, Skappey-Scyther, Addie-Plusle, Ferry-Lapras Kaila-Dragonair

Hunt For a Legend

Before I go any further, I want to go back. If you've followed the rest of my story, you'll have heard about Mew and the three legendary birds. But you don't know when I saw Lugia. So, I'll start off by going back and recounting how I met the silver bird.

It was a couple months after I'd won the right to stay on the island of Avalon that Ben and I went to the Orange Islands. Why a couple months, you ask? Because we spent most of that time exploring Avalon. Ben had spent a lot of that time working on his favorite hobby: electronics. Jed had introduced him to some professional mechanics, and Ben had taken the opportunity to learn a lot about the field. But he agreed that he could use a take a break from that, so I finally convinced him to come to the Orange Islands with me. That's where this flashback starts.

I smiled and picked up the berry again, examining it from every angle of its round, pink shape.

"How many times are you gonna stare at that thing?" Ben muttered. He was leaning back against a rock on the beach, his arms crossed behind him to support his head.

"But I got one!" I replied excitedly, setting the pink berry back on my bag.

"Yeah, and you'll probably be arrested too, considering we weren't supposed to go on that island, and that we _definitely _weren't supposed to take a berry from it."

"But I gotta plant the seeds!"

"Yeah. And you're not supposed to do that."

I glared at him. "Yeah, and you never do weird stuff with your electronics either. What about copyrights and stuff?"

Oh yeah. You probably have no idea what we're talking about. Ben and I just found our way to a place called Pinkan Island. It's supposed to be shielded from the public by whirlpools, but if you're flying on a Dragonair, whirlpools don't get in your way much. Anyway, it's called Pinkan Island because of the berries that grow there. They're native only to that island. And when Pokémon fed off of them for extended periods of time, their skin, feathers, and fur actually turn pink. Anyway, I managed to smuggle one of the pinkan berries off of the island, with the intent of planting the seeds on Avalon. Officer Jenny hadn't caught me, so I hadn't been arrested yet. Heheh.

"Better hide that," Ben muttered. "Someone's coming."

"As if anyone's gonna know what they are around here," I muttered. But I hid it in my pack anyway. This beach was right next to a town, so it was quite possible for people to be around.

I tried to look somewhat innocent, so I turned my eyes to watch my Pokémon playing on the beach. Lapras and Dragonair (who had evolved from the Dratini I found in the Safari Zone) were splashing in the waves with Addie, a Plusle. My Scyther was practicing sparring techniques against a jut of rock. My two Ponyta, Polaris and her boyfriend, Nova were having races on the soft sand.

Ben's Blastoise, Arcanine, and Tauros were playing with them as well.

Two girls appeared further down the beach. The older one appeared about seventeen and she had bushy light brown hair and glasses. The other girl was only about a year older than me. She looked much more delicately built than her friend, and she had straight red hair that didn't quite reach to her shoulders. She also had a lot of freckles. And she looked familiar…

The older girl was holding a laptop. They were talking, but they weren't very close and the sound of waves muffled their voices so we couldn't hear what they were saying.

They'd noticed us right away because of our Pokémon playing on the beach, but they didn't pay us much mind.

Addie pricked up her ears and hopped a little closer to them. The two girls didn't notice. They were too busy examining the computer that the older girl was carrying.

The redhead shook her head and gestured out to the ocean, saying something.

They started walking down the beach in our direction. As they passed us, Polaris and Nova stopped to let them by. Skeppy paused his training too.

As they walked past the two Ponyta, the redheaded girl stopped and stared at Polaris. Then she turned her head to where Ben and I were sitting. Her jaw dropped and she started walking towards us. The other girl stopped and turned when she realized that her friend wasn't following her.

The red-headed girl looked at us for a moment, then said uncertainly, "Cara?"

I blinked. She did look familiar, but where had I met her?

Then, "Oh! You're Josh's sister!"

She nodded. "Yeah. It's Sasha."

"Sasha," I repeated, standing up. Ben did the same. "How are you?"

Sasha nodded. "Fine. Uh, and you?"

"We're good. We've just been exploring the Orange Islands," Ben replied.

"It's your first time here?"

Ben and I nodded.

Sasha turned to the other girl. "Tiffany! Come here!"

Tiffany was already right behind her, in fact.

"Tiff, this is Cara. She's the one that beat Josh in the Pokémon League last year."

Tiffany beamed. "Nice to meet you! See, Josh is our brother. I saw your battle on TV, but I was in Johto, so I couldn't come to watch."

I nodded. So, the three of them were siblings. I'd met Sasha right before that last battle. Really, she didn't look much like her brother. Tiffany looked a little more like him, and again, not much like Sasha. Except for the eyes, which were pale green in both.

"How about you?" I asked. "What are you doing here?"

Sasha shrugged. "I've been in the Orange Islands for a few years. And Josh spends most of his time in Kanto. Tiffany works in Johto though."

Tiffany nodded. "Yes. I work for Professor Elm. But I'm working on a special assignment now, so I had to come to the Orange Islands. And Sasha said she'd help me."

"Help with what?" Ben asked.

Tiffany hesitated, but Sasha said, "We're looking for Lugia."

Tiffany opened her mouth, as if to protest the fact that Sasha had given away their plans. Maybe they were trying to keep their search a secret. Lugia was, after all, legendary.

"Lugia?" I repeated, interested at once. And not only because I wanted to meet Lugia. It was because I'd had _the dream_ last night.

"Do you have any leads?" I asked.

"I'm sorry, but we're not supposed to talk about the details, Tiffany said stiffly, tucking the computer under her arm.

Sasha stomped her foot on the ground. "We should invite them to help us! Cara's a great trainer and..."

"Strong trainers have nothing to do with it," Tiffany said. "This isn't about fighting Lugia. This is about researching it!"

"Um," I said uncertainly. Tiffany was really friendly until we offered to help in research. She seemed pretty protective of it, but I could understand why she might think that people who were good at battling might not know much about research. "Actually," I admitted slowly, "I've had some experience with legendary Pokémon."

Both of them turned to stare at me.

"Really?" Sasha exclaimed.

"How so?" Tiffany said, her attitude changing once again to one of fascination.

I hesitated. "Don't tell anyone. But… I've seen Mew."

Tiffany's eyes grew very round. "Mew? Really? Did you see it use any of its attacks? Can it Teleport? Does it really know Transform? How…"

"Um… I wasn't sure where to start. "Yeah, she teleports and transforms. I dunno what other attacks she has."

"She," Tiffany repeated. She whipped out her computer, pushed a few buttons, and started typing away fiercely, using a rock for a table.

Sasha smiled and shook her head. "There she goes."

"So, how is Josh?" I asked. "We haven't seen him since the League."

"Oh, he's fine. He's been training again. I haven't seen him in a few weeks, but he calls us occasionally. I told him that we were looking for Lugia. I guess I was kind of hoping he'd come and help us, but he's probably too busy."

I nodded in understanding. "Yeah. It's easy to loose track of time with your Pokémon. By the way, do you have any Pokémon? I mean, I'm sure you do, but what kinds?"

"Oh, I have mainly water Pokémon. That's why I spend a lot of time in the Orange Islands. There's lots of water Pokémon around. And Tiffany spends most of her time in Johto since she grew up in Kanto and she wants to know more about the new Pokémon in Johto. Have you learned about any of the Johto Pokémon? Tiff can tell you about them."

I nodded. "I do know about a lot of them." Some of them lived in Avalon, though there were Pokémon there that didn't live in either Johto or Kanto.

"And this little guy," Sasha said, kneeling to pet Addie, who was sitting by her feet. "I've never seen one like her before."

"Yeah. She's a Plusle. She doesn't come from Johto though."

"Ah. Well, expect Tiff to ask a lot of questions about her then."

Tiffany finished with her computer and stood up. "So, we've been researching the mythology of Lugia in these islands. The most interesting things we've learned so far were in the Shamouti Islands where they have a prophecy about the Beast of the Sea. We assume that it means Lugia because of the other stories about the island. And the song that they play at a special festival is identical to the song Lugia is said to sing."

Well, it seems like she didn't mind us joining her anymore.

"And there's also people who say that Lugia will only appear to one who has a Silver Wing. It sounds like a feather from a Lugia. But we don't have one of those. We've already explored the Shamouti Islands, but it seems that Lugia travels around a lot. We're trying to find out where it's headed next so that we can, at the very least, catch a glimpse of it. So few researchers have ever seen it, that even that will be enough to answer some questions."

"Do you have any idea where Lugia might show up next?" I asked, interested.

"Not a clue," Sasha replied.

Ben and I grimaced at each other.

"So, what are you doing next?" Ben asked.

"We've been trying to identify if Lugia has a migration pattern by comparing sightings of it," Tiffany replied, tapping on her computer. She held up the screen to show us. Little dots flickered on a map of the Orange Islands. "See, the last sighting was last year. The sightings are so few that it's almost impossible to tell where Lugia goes at certain times of the year. But, there have been a few sightings of it on this island, right around this time of year! From fishermen and such who travel away from the city. So we're hoping that perhaps it will show up soon. We just got here ourselves, so we need to explore the perimeter of the island and especially locate the isolated bay where Lugia has been sighted."

"Well, I have an idea," I said. "If you have a lot of water Pokémon, Sasha, and I have a couple myself, we can send them out to search underwater. And Scyther can fly up and locate the bay. They might be able to learn something."

"That's a good idea," said Tiffany. "And I can do the same with some of my Pokémon. Flashes of red illuminated the beach as Tiffany and Sasha released their Pokémon. Sasha had Wartortle, Dewgong, Starmi, Marill, Golduck, and Tentacool.

Tiffany had released Ledyba and Seadra. "Ledyba can fly with your Scyther. And Seadra can swim with the others."

"OK." I stood up on a rock to get a better view of the search party. "Listen everyone. We're looking for Lugia. Apparently Lugia appears in a bay on the island around this time of year. But if you could all go out and ask around, or something, and report back to us if you find anything. I don't think we're in any rush though. But we'll camp out on the beach and wait here. OK. Let's get searching!"

The Pokémon nodded. Sasha's Pokémon all dove down beneath the waves, with Seadra, Kaila and, Ferry. Skeppy and Ledyba flew away.

Ben's Pokémon were left, along with my two Ponyta and Addie.

As Sasha predicted, Tiffany started asking be about Addie and opened a page on her computer for notes on Plusle.

Later on, Sasha went to get dinner for us as we waited on the beach.

It was Scyther and Ledyba that arrived first. They'd found the bay. But we still had to wait for the water Pokémon to come back. We expected them to not arrive until the next day, so we started to set up camp.

After dinner, as it started to grow dark, Sasha's Marill, Tentacool, and Golduck came back. So did Seadra. They hadn't found anything.

So we went to sleep to wait for the others to arrive.

…

As it grew dark and everyone was deeply asleep, a figure walked onto the beach and saw Tiffany and Sasha asleep next to each other. He took a few steps further on the soft sand to where Cara and Ben were asleep with the two Ponyta. He gave a small start when he saw them there.

Addie flicked her ears and sat up to glance around. She'd thought she heard something a minute ago, but she didn't see anything. So she curled up and went back to sleep.

…

Q and A by Cara

Cara: So, at the end of the last story, someone asked what kind of clothes I wear. When I'm traveling (AKA during most of the first story) I wear pretty simple clothes. It's a hassle to take too many fancy things with you when you have to carry them yourself. Though Polaris did carry my stuff sometimes. So, when I'm traveling, I tend to stick to jeans and t-shirts. The t-shirts might be plain, or they might have patterns on them, or pictures of Pokémon. Usually, I didn't really pay much attention to the combination either since I just grab whatever-s handiest, so I've ended up wearing some pretty strange outfits occasionally.

But now that I have Avalon as a home base, I have a few more opportunities to wear some interesting things. I'll wear skirts occasionally, or if I find something interesting somewhere, like a cool hat or something that looks more like costume clothes, I might buy that too. I like to buy interesting costume clothes occasionally, like hooded cloaks. I don't really wear them in public, but I might wear them around the Avalon house. Or to a party among friends.


	3. The Silver Shadow

I'm really excited to get to the next part of the story! But until then, I give you Lugia! (I don't have much to say this time! Aren't you excited?)

Polaris-Ponyta, Kaila-Dragonair, Ferry-Lapras

The Silver Shadow

We all woke up to find that Wartortle had come back empty handed.

"Well, we're only waiting for four more then," Tiffany sighed. Then we can at least get to the bay and hope Lugia shows up.

After breakfast, Sasha's last two Pokémon arrived. Ferry showed up a little later. Kaila was still out.

_Kaila! _I called, using telepathy.

_Yes?_ My Dragonair responded.

_We're heading to the bay. If you need to find us, that's where we'll be. _

_OK. We've heard from some of the wild Pokémon that Lugia is in the Orange Islands right now, but we're not sure where. At least we're in the right general area. _

_Yeah . Thanks. Meet me at the bay. _

"Let's head out," I announced.

"What about your Dragonair?" Sasha asked.

"She's gonna meet us there. Don't worry. She can fly too. She'll catch up. She's still gathering information."

"OK then. Let's get to the bay."

"We can ride Ferry," I said, gesturing to my Lapras. "She can 'ferry' all of us."

I returned my other Pokémon. The rest of us climbed onto Ferry's shell and she cruised off along the coast towards the bay.

The beach was out of sight when a shadow fell over our group. All of us looked up, shielding our eyes against the sun. It was so bright that it was hard to tell what Pokémon it was that was flying over us. But it was definitely not Kaila.

The flying Pokémon dropped lower, definitely heading towards us. And as it moved out from in front of the sun, I could tell that it was a Charizard. And there was a trainer riding on its back.

As Charizard coasted up next to Ferry, I finally saw who the rider was. My jaw dropped. Josh!

Sasha and Tiffany waved.

"You actually came!" Tiffany shouting with her hands cupped over her mouth.

Josh grinned and nodded. "Yep. And I brought a present for you. Yo, Cara! Ben! Long time, no see! What ya been up to?"

I blinked at him for a moment, then grinned. "I'm good. We've been exploring the Orange Islands."

"I see you still have your Lapras."

"Yeah. And you got your Charizard." I remembered that Charizard. He'd been extremely difficult to defeat. All of Josh's Pokémon had. Even the Sandshrew and Drowzee.

"I saw your Ponyta on the beach."

"You were on the beach?"

He nodded. "Yeah. You have two Ponyta now?"

I nodded.

Josh faked a grimace. "I hope your new one isn't as strong as the old one."

I shook my head.

"I'll fly ahead and meet you guys at the bay. Your Lapras is too slow!"

Josh laughed as his Charizard shot forwards and up. Ferry gave an indignant cry at being called slow, and she pushed forwards against the current.

It didn't take long before the bay came into view. Ferry cruised in and let us hop out on the beach. Josh was pacing back and forth on the sand. His Charizard was standing behind him.

Josh grinned as our group approached him. He raised a hand in greeting.

"You came!" Sasha exclaimed, giving a little hop of excitement.

Tiffany was smiling. "I didn't think you'd be able to make it."

"Yeah, well," Josh rubbed the back of his head. "I had to go and try to find something, but I wasn't sure if it'd work, so I decided not to say anything. But… I finally found it!"

"What?"

Josh took a deep breath and reached into his pocket to withdraw a small box. He held it out to Tiffany, who accepted it and flipped the lid open.

Everyone gathered around to look inside. There was a small, flat fragment of silver sitting inside.

Tiffany gingerly removed the little shard and held it in her hand.

"Is this…"

"It's a part of a Silver Wing," Josh sighed, flopping down on the warm sand. "I'm sorry. I couldn't find a whole one, but I did manage to get this. I thought it might help you." He gave me a wink. "And now we've got more people here too! Hopefully we'll all be able to see Lugia, huh?"

I smiled. "That's great. It must have taken a lot of work to find this."

Josh groaned. "You can say that again. And I didn't have much time to do it, either. Luckily I know a lot of people."

"What do we do now?" Sasha asked.

Everyone paused and exchanged glances.

"Good question," I admitted.

Tiffany laughed. "Wait?" she suggested.

"A very scientific plan," Josh said, smirking and patting his Charizard, who had flopped into the hot sand beside him.

"Maybe my Dragonair found something," I suggested.

"So, where is your Dragonair?" Josh asked, Leaning back against his Charizard. "By the way, Dragonair are rare. Where did you get one?"

"Safari Zone."

"Cool! I should go back there and try to catch one."

I grimaced dramatically. "Don't do it. If you get a Dragonite, I'll never be able to beat you in battle!"

Josh started laughing. "I bet we've both gotten better, huh? But I guess now isn't the time to battle. We're following Tiff's _scientific plan _of waiting for a Lugia to show up."

"Oh, hush, you!" Tiffany hissed. "Lugia is a legendary Pokémon! No one's gonna know how to handle it!"

"You're a scientist. I thought you were researching legendaries." Josh was trying to bug his older sister. And it was working.

"H-hey, guys, knock it off," Sasha said, a bit hesitantly. The pacifist in the family, perhaps?

"Tiff still thinks she can be bossy even though we're not six years old anymore, eh Sasha?" Josh grinned.

Yeah, they're definitely siblings. I'm glad I'm an only child.

A distraction came just in time. Dragonair's head popped out of the water. Instantly, everyone's attention was drawn to her.

"You're back, Kaila! What did you find? Is Lugia coming?"

She opened her mouth and let out a singing cry. Then she turned to me and nodded.

Everyone inhaled sharply.

Kaila slid up onto the sand and everyone stared intently at the water. _Yes! I asked him to come, and he was thinking about it, and then he felt the presence of the Silver Wing, and he's coming! _

Tiffany didn't realize that her fist was clenched around the silver wing fragment, she was so fixated on the water.

Josh and his Charizard scrambled to their feet to join us.

We heard it first, distant and mournful. The sound blended with the rush of the waves. Singing. It was beautiful, like the song of a whale. But there was a definite melody to it. It grew louder and clearer, and then a shadow appeared at the mouth of the bay. It was traveling fast enough beneath the water that a wake appeared on the surface.

The shadow under the surface grew rapidly larger as it neared the shore and pushed up closer to the surface.

The song stopped.

Suddenly, the waters gave way and the silver Pokémon burst out of the sea. A shower of droplets cascaded around him, reflecting the sunlight. For a moment, Lugia hovered above the surface, beating its great wings. It turned its head to each of us in turn, and then looked up to the skies and sang out one last note. In one fluid movement, Lugia turned and flew away, skimming the surface of the ocean and sending up a spray on either side of him. He slowly sank lower into the water until he once again vanished beneath the waves.

Everyone stared out to sea, at a loss for words. It had been beautiful beyond speech. No one wanted to break the spell that we'd fallen under.

Finally Ben released a breath and grinned.

"I got it."

Everyone turned to stare at him, not having a clue what he was talking about.

Then Ben held up his video camera.

"You," I said with a sigh, "Are a moron." I slugged him in the arm.

Ben grinned and rubbed his arm. "You'll thank me some day."

"Thanks."

"Ooh!" A video!" Tiffany exclaimed. "Let me download it onto my laptop! It may be one of the first videos ever shot of Lugia!"

"Did you hear its beautiful song?" Sasha said dreamily.

Josh was staring out across the ocean, lost in fascination. "I've never seen a legendary before."

Dragonair, Lapras and Charizard hadn't moved.

"I guess that's it, huh," Josh said at last, taking his eyes off the sea. "Anything else we need out here? Or should all of us go and get lunch in town?"

Tiffany whipped out her laptop and began typing away fiercely. She muttered to herself as she worked.

"Reminds me of you, Ben," I said, noting Tiffany's enthusiasm with her computer. "You're that absorbed in your mechanical stuff, or whatever the technical term for it is."

"See? I'm not completely weird." Ben tapped his camera for emphasis.

"Oh, you're definitely weird," I replied.

"Then you have to admit that you're weird too," he countered.

"Gladly. I would never want to be normal. Weird is awesome. All of my friends are weird."

"Should I take that as a compliment?" Josh asked.

"Coming from Cara, yes," Ben sighed. "But lunch sounds good."

"We found a good Italian place," Sasha suggested.

"Italian is good," I agreed.

Josh picked up the Silver wing shard from where it rested on Tiffany's keyboard.

"This… has the ability to summon Lugia."

"We should conduct research on that," Tiffany said, glancing up from her computer. "It's possible that it's a feather from a Lugia!"

Josh snorted. "You must be a genius to figure that out all on your own."

"It _is_ part of a Lugia wing, isn't it?" Sasha asked, cocking her head. "I thought that's what it was."

Josh shook his head. "Never mind. Sasha doesn't always get sarcasm."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "You're not usually sarcastic."

"Not to you. You're too innocent to get the sarcasm. Tiffany, on the other hand, is fun to be sarcastic with."

Josh turned to me. He held out his hand. I blinked and mimicked him. He dropped the piece of Silver Wing into my open palm.

I raised my eyebrows. "You're giving it to me?"

Josh shrugged. "It feels like the right thing to do. Besides, no one bad should be allowed to get that. It might put Lugia in danger. Keep it safe, right? You beat me in battle, so I think you're better suited to protect it."

I was speechless.

"Are the two of you gonna battle again?" Ben asked.

Josh and I exchanged glances. Then Josh turned away and flipped his hand. "Nope." He walked up to his Charizard. "Come on, Slowpokes! Let's get some food! I'm hungry."

No one moved right away.

"Come on! You'll evolve into Slowbro! If you don't get a move on, I won't tell you about the rumors of a Crystal Onix!"

"A what?" Tiffany and I shouted together.

"I'll tell you later!" Josh laughed and vaulted onto his Charizard's back. Charizard took off in a cloud of sand.

"Catch me if you can!"

I grinned. "I accept the challenge! Ferry, give the others a ride back." I jumped onto Kaila's neck. "Come on, girl! After him!"

"Naaaiiiiirrr!" Kaila called. She twisted up into the air in pursuit of Josh.

"Cara! Cara!" Ben shouted after me. We ignored him. The chase was on!

…

Q and A by Cara. Except there really wasn't a Q this time, so I guess there really can't be an A. ANYWAY, this is a random note by Cara, your narrator!

Cara: I figured I should tell you what I look like. I'll try to do a good job.

First of all, I'm medium height. I have blue eyes and completely insane hair. It's dark blonde. When I was little, it used to be really bright blonde, but now it borders more on brown. I always have to keep it tied back in a ponytail, because otherwise it turns into a tumbleweed. You should see me when I wake up! When it's too long, it's impossible to de-tangle. And if I cut it too short, it poofs out into a weird afro. Yeah. Wild hair.

Let's see. I'm not, well, dainty. I don't mean I'm fat! I'm just not delicately built. I have a broad rib cage, or something, and I'm pretty strong. Anyway, it's one of the reasons I don't really wear dresses too often. I don't' feel… girly enough to wear them, and I feel really weird writing that too.


	4. Night of the Broken Heart

I am about to do the biggest steal from the TV series so far. It will be stretched over a few chapters, until I change the ending a bit. Heheh. So, I apologize for being uncreative enough to go and steal a whole movie. But I had to! I love this guy so much, and I feel so sorry for him! And he's such a big part of my story. ("He" will become clear in time, if you can't tell already. Heheh).

And as a warning, the dream sequence is supposed to be confusing. Cara has no idea what's going on. But hopefully by the end, you'll understand better.

Someone mentioned that Mew is genderless. I know. But I refuse to accept that fact, so I assign all the legendaries genders. I hate calling things "it." It feels disrespectful.

Charren-Charizard, Pooka-Pikachu

Night of the Broken Heart

OK. Flashback is over. Let's get on with the show!

…

"Faster! You'll fall behind, and lost sight of your Pokémon!"

I quickened my pace, sprinting along and sending up a dust storm around my feet. I tried not to gasp too hard for breath, instead trying to keep my breathing slower and steadier. It's hard to pull off sometimes.

Charren flew along above me. She'd always been my flying Pokémon of choice. She didn't have it easy either. Dragonite was doing her best to hinder Charren's movements. Charren dodged and darted back and forth while still attempting to move forwards.

It was an exhausting training session. For both of us. But when Lance offers to take you in for a weekend, you don't argue. I'd had a few of these training sessions with him over the past few years. And since I've met him, one of the big things I've learned is that I can't expect my Pokémon to do all the work. I need to go through the motions with them.

The goal was for both Charren and I to reach, well, the goal. Charren was being slowed down by Lance's Dragonite, and was forced to stop on many occasions for a brief skirmish. But I was still having trouble keeping up with the flying pair. Lance, who was sprinting along the path a short distance from me, was having no trouble keeping pace.

By the time we reached the finish line, I hunched over, placed my hands on my knees, and gasped. Charren landed beside me, huffing and snorting smoke.

Lance nodded in approval. "Not bad. Endurance is important. And it's important for the trainer to feel part of what the Pokémon goes through, and it's important for the trainer to stay in good shape in case they are forced into a situation where they can't rely on their Pokémon. If there's one thing that's true about strong trainers, especially ones that go fighting evil," he winked at me ,"It's that you make enemies. And you'll need to take care of yourself."

I nodded. I'd learned that lesson already.

…

We returned to Avalon after our training period of a couple days. My team and I were exhausted, but pleased without progress. I definitely have my favorite Pokémon to use, but I try to rotate through them as much as possible. Even though I try my best to keep a balanced team, I seem to have a lot of fire and water types on my favorites list. Probably because Ponyta and Charizard were among my first Pokémon, and are two of my strongest.

Ben greeted my return in the usual way: staggering from the appropriately named "computer room" and blinking blearily from staring at bright computer screens and small wires and chips. He raised a hand.

I returned the greeting in my usual manner.

"You're gonna ruin your eyes." But I raised a hand in return, and promptly flopped face-first into the living room couch.

"Was it that fun?" Ben asked, smiling, and stretching his arms over his head.

I nodded, huffing into a pillow.

"Bill called while you were gone. You left your Pokégear here, so he couldn't call you directly."

"Oh, I guess I forgot it. What did he want?"

"He wanted me to tell you that he heard the singing Pokémon again. The giant Dragonite creature that once showed up at the lighthouse."

As much as Bill's Dragonite-like thing had kept me interested for several weeks running, right now I just wanted to get to sleep. I'd return the call tomorrow.

I let out Charren and the rest of the team I'd brought to training, and then shuffled upstairs. Tonight it was Pooka, my Pikachu, who came with me to curl up on my pillow.

I collapsed on the bed and snuggled down under the covers. I started thinking about Bill's mystery Pokémon, and that's how I fell asleep.

…

I was on the dream hill. The mist was so think that I couldn't see anything around me. But I caught the outline of something floating above the ground. I hesitated, then took a step towards it.

_Cara, it's important. _

I started and glanced around to find the source of the voice. I knew who it was. It was Mew that had spoken.

I gulped and took another step towards the floating thing.

It was about my size, or slightly bigger, and had a tail that was curled up against its body. Its arms were crossed in front of itself, and its legs were tucked up. It was asleep. I squinted, trying to make out its details. I hesitated, then reached out both hands to the strange sleeping Pokémon.

It eyes snapped open.

…

_This… isn't me. Where am I? This isn't my body. Could it be… Am I in its mind? But how… _

…

Floating.

_Who am I? _

I'm floating.

_Who am I? _

Water. There's water.

_What am I? _

A Pokémon. A small one with a long tail. I see it, swimming.

_Where am I? _

A mountain. The Pokémon is flying over it.

_I am ready to be. _

…

I'm floating. I slowly open my eye. There's bubbles. I see blurred shapes. They're watching me.

_Where… am I? This, this is not the same. Was everything before just a dream? _

That mountain with the Pokémon.

_Why? _

…

I hear something. People are speaking.

"Doctor, look at this."

"What?"

"Its brain waves! They're surging!"

"Let me see!"

"She's right!"

"Let's run another scan!"

"Its mind is racing!"

The mountain.

_Those voices. _

Water.

_They're outside. _

That Pokémon.

_Where I must be. _

Power surges through my body. I know nothing, but this raw energy seems to obey my call.

I am inside something. A clear wall surrounds me. I want to get rid of it.

I tap that flow of power. Get rid of that wall.

The glass begins to crack. I apply a little more pressure, and the tank shatters. Fluids spill out and glass scatters across the floor. The people around me make startled sounds and all turn to where I am sitting in what remains of the tank. Around me there are walls. Walls, tanks, machines, pipes. No water or mountains that I saw in my visions. I can't see out of the walls.

"Radio Giovanni's helicopter! Tell him what's happened!" one of the people shouts.

"Quiet!" shouts the man in front. The others obey. He's in charge. "Let us hear its psychic powers."

They're talking about me.

"Psychic powers?" I repeat, raising my head slightly to get a better look at the people.

The man begins to talk. He seems pleased. Is he pleased with me? I don't know. I can't tell what's happening. Are these people… friends? Who am I?

"For years we struggled to successfully clone a Pokémon to prove our theories. But you're the first specimen to survive."

He gestures to a picture on the wall. A picture of that Pokémon I saw in those dreams.

"That is Mew. The rarest of all Pokémon. From its DNA, we created you, Mewtwo."

"Mewtwo?" I repeat. Is that who I am? I am Mewtwo? "Am I only a copy? Nothing but Mew's shadow?"

"You are greater than Mew," continues the leader man. A… scientist. "Improved through the power of human ingenuity. We used the most advanced techniques to develop your awesome psychic powers."

My heart sinks as he speaks. Is this all? "So, I am simply the end result of your experiment. What becomes of me now that your experiment is over?"

"Oh, our experiment isn't over yet! It's just beginning! Now the serious testing begins."

_These humans, _I think bitterly, _they care nothing for me. _

Around me, the scientist humans are congratulating each other. Pleased with how their _experiment _had come out. I am nothing to them. I might as well not even be alive.

I look down at my hands, so different from those humans who had created me. Is this what humans are? The lives of others mean nothing to them?

I feel hurt, frustrated, confused, and betrayed. Is this life? This cannot be all! I clench my fists tightly.

_Is that my purpose? Am I just an experiment? A laboratory specimen? _

Emotions build up in me. I don't know how to deal with them. Above the turmoil raging inside of me, two feelings rise above the others: anger, and hate. I automatically reach for the flow of power pulsing through me.

_This cannot be my destiny! _

Psychic energy builds up around my body. Glass tanks begin to crack. I reach further and raw power explodes out of me. I shove the humans away from me with a powerful blast. Glass shatters, machinery goes up behind plumes of flame.

The machines fight back, reaching out with mechanical arms to try to restrain me. They grab at my arms, but they disintegrate under my power.

My rage causes the walls to explode and the pipes to burst open. The humans are shouting, terrified. I don't care. They are my enemies.

I pause for a moment as flames flicker, filling the room. Destroying everything.

This power! Look at it! They cannot stand against me!

With one last outburst, I cause a massive explosion. The building collapses and my blue psychic energy fills my vision.

…

I'm falling. I can't see. I strike something hard and try to reach out, to feel what's around me. But I can't move my arms or legs. I can't move! I can't see! Where am I! _Where am I? _

Something screams. I struggle madly, trying to make sense of the insanity. I'm panicking. Oh God, oh God, what's happening? Help! _Help!_

Panic, fear, terror, and the lingering sensations of rage and betrayal. It's driving me crazy!

"Cara! CARA!"

That voice! I know it!

I lurch wildly one last time. Whatever is binding me is loosened. I can see again.

My head snaps this way and that. It takes me several moments to figure out what's going on. I'm in my room. On the floor. Ben is kneeling next to me, trying to pull the sheets off me. The blankets are wrapped tightly around my body, encasing me in layers like a mummy. That's why I couldn't move. And I'd fallen out of bed. That's why I felt like I was falling, and why I struck something – I had hit the floor.

My heart is racing. I'm afraid that it's going to pound straight out of my chest. Or that it will explode. Those hateful feelings… they were still there, but they were slowly fading away as I realized what was happening.

It had been a dream. A dream. I looked down at my hands just to be sure. Yes, I was human again.

I must have been thrashing in my bed, and got tangled in my sheets. And then I fell onto the floor.

Ben finally succeeded in pulling the last sheet off of me. I gave a gasp and collapsed on my back, panting, and trying to get my heart to slow down.

"Cara, what happened?"

Ben's eyes were wide and he looked alarmed and concerned. Behind him, Pooka was backed into a corner, fur bristling, twitching in fright at my strange behavior.

"I, I heard you scream. I came running. Pooka was panicking. I found you on the floor, trying to get free."

"I-I screamed?"

Ben nodded. He was in his pajamas. I must have woken him up with my scream. I too was in my night clothes.

"W-what happened? You've never-never done that before."

I slowly sat up, and trembling, used the bed to push myself to my feet. Ben reached out, ready to catch me if I stumbled.

"I-I think… it was a dream. No, it can't have been a dream. Mew… her voice said that it was important. And then… I was in someone's body. A-a Pokémon." My voice was shaking badly. I could barely get the words out. The rage, it had been inside of me too. I felt it as clearly as I saw Ben and Pooka. It terrified me. I'd never been so frightened in my life, even against Giovanni. Giovanni. I'd heard his name in my dream.

I sat down on the bed and looked up at Ben. "It wasn't a dream, Ben. It was real. Ben… Team Rocket, they've copied Mew."


	5. Prepare for Trouble

So, Jessie and James get really old after a while, but it's to Cara's advantage if she knows who they are later on in the story. Hence them appearing now. I'm drawing on their good side and their love of food. There have been a few occasions where food has won them over so… yeah. (They are sure annoying in the newer cartoons that I've seen . Bla. Why do they have to show up in EVERY EPISODE?)

Kinesis-Alakazam, Polaris-Ponyta, Charren-Charizard

Prepare for Trouble

"You're not gonna call Bill then?" Ben asked.

I shook my head as I pulled on my jacket. "No, I can't. Please call him and tell him that I'm sorry. But something very important has come up." I turned gravely to Ben. "I have to find out about the Mewtwo. The sooner the better. If you'd felt those emotions… he's capable of causing REAL damage. Not only that… but I don't want him to feel this way. I have to do something. I have to find him."

"Where is he?"

I paused.

"I don't know," I admitted, turning to stuff a bag of food into my pack.

"Where do you think you'll start?"

"Anywhere. I have to start somewhere. Maybe I can find Mew, or something. _Something_. I have to at least try."

I dropped my head. This situation felt so hopeless. Where would I start? I'd heard Giovanni's name, so, Mewtwo was linked to Team Rocket. I could check at Viridian Gym, but I doubted that he'd be there. And honestly, I didn't want to go back there. I wanted to stay as far away from that gym as possible. I hoped that Mewtwo had run away somewhere and was no longer under Team Rocket's influence. But, the only lead I had was Viridian City. So, Viridian City is where I must go.

I slowly turned to Ben.

"I'm going to Giovanni's gym. If you don't hear from me within a day, please come and rescue me."

I was half jesting. But Ben nodded seriously. "I'll bring the cavalry again." He gave a small smile and I smiled back.

"Thanks. I'll see you soon."

"Sure you don't want me to come?"

"Yeah. Like you said, I may need you to rescue me."

"You'll be fine."

"Hopefully."

I turned to my Alakazam, Kinesis.

"OK, bud, let's get to Viridian City. Teleport!"

"Kazam!" Kinesis chanted.

A moment later, the two of us were at the edge of the city.

"Thanks." I returned my Alakazam and began to head towards the Gym. I pulled a baseball cap over my head so I wouldn't be readily recognizable. I also stuffed my hair up inside the cap for a further disguise. Since it had been a few years since my brush with Giovanni, I hoped that he wouldn't remember me anyways.

I paused for a moment. I'd just remembered something. The Viridian Gym was often empty since Giovanni was traveling a lot of the time. I hesitated. I hopeded that the gym would be deserted. But if it was, then I probably wouldn't learn anything.

I continued on, scuffing my feet on the ground as I moved towards the gym. I was afraid of what would happen when I got there. Either way, I was certain it wouldn't go well.

I arrived at the gym far too soon for my tastes. I hovered around the street for nearly a whole minute before I finally approached the front door. It was locked.

I peered through the window, but everything was dark inside.

"OK," I muttered once I'd released Kinesis again, "Teleport us inside!"

It was done.

I peered around through the dark hallways. It was just as I feared. The place was deserted. I glanced cautiously at the security cameras lining the main hall.

"Kinesis, use Psychic to disable the cameras."

Alakazam raised his spoons. The cameras let out a dull fizzing sound and ceased to work. I crept further in, peering through doorways to see if I could find a room where data was kept.

Alakazam and I darted into a room where there were some computers against the far wall. I tapped the mouse, and the computer instantly demanded a password.

I cursed. This wasn't going to work.

Kinesis and I jerked our heads up at the sound of footsteps. A moment later, we had teleported to the safety of outside.

I left the city to enter the solitude of Viridian Forest. Kinesis sat nearby as I seated myself cross-legged at the base of a tree. I shut my eyes and began to call telepathically.

_Mew! Mew, I need to speak with you! The dream you sent me last night, help me! I have to find Mewtwo! _

I waited. But no response came.

Once again, I was at a dead end.

…

Nothing. It's been at least a couple weeks. My searching has felt more and more hopeless. No more dreams, no contact from Mew, no news of Team Rocket.

It was in pathetic desperation that I started heading in the direction of Pallet Town to ask Professor Oak if he knew anything.

I was silent as Polaris and I walked down the road. I was almost ready to give up. A couple weeks of straight searching with no new leads. I'd checked out different laboratories and searched for everything that seemed related to Team Rocket. And I'd searched for Mew. I'd been across most of Johto and Kanto. Was it somewhere else I'd never been before? It was possible, but somehow I didn't think so.

"What can I do," I whispered. I felt pathetic and helpless. "I know that I have to find him somehow. But…"

Polaris turned her head to me and whickered softly. _You're trying your hardest. That's what counts right now. _

_Even though it's not enough. _

_It's all you can give. _

I remained silent.

For several minutes, Polaris plodded along the road.

Then a deep rumbling sound made the two of us look up. There was a cloud of dust rising from the trees off to our side. It was approaching the road.

"A Pokémon?" I suggested. "A big one."

Polaris nodded. _Yes. See those cliffs off in the distance? It's coming from that rocky region. Must be a rock type. My guess is Onix. _

"Well, if so, it's on a rampage."

_Indeed. _

"Town isn't too far away. We'd better try to stop it before it hurts someone. Come on!"

I urged Polaris into a canter and she shot off into the trees. Ponyta skipped effortlessly around logs and bushes, bounding over fallen logs and stones.

Soon we emerged into an open space. More accurately, it was a trail crushed through the forest – by something very large. Twisted trees and smashed branches indicated that this Onix was indeed in a foul mood.

Polaris turned and galloped down the trampled path, carefully avoiding the larger obstacles and bounding over smaller ones.

A cloud of Pidgey took to the sky in front of us, and we heard the loud bellow of an Onix.

I reached to my belt and pulled out Charren's Pokéball.

Charizard flew overhead waiting for orders.

"Go slow that Onix down!" I shouted. "Turn it back from the main road!"

She nodded and swooped off.

Then Onix's head rose up from the trees in front of us. He let out another bellow and struck his head down at something in front of him.

A moment later, we'd arrived. Charren was diving overhead, trying to distract the Onix. I jumped off my Ponyta's back and she went running up to help.

I glanced around. Onix was attacking something. Something had riled him up. But what?

I ran several steps closer to the Onix, careful to stay out of range of his lashing tail.

There. There was a Pokémon down there. Its foot was caught beneath a rock, and it couldn't get out of the way. Onix was about to crush it.

Onix lunged at it, but Polairs stomped in-between them and blasted flame out. Onix roared and turned his head away.

I sprinted up, pausing to dive beneath a fallen log as Onix's tail swiped overhead. I scrambled to my feet again and rushed forwards. Charren and Polaris kept Onix distracted long enough for me to reach the Pokémon. It was a Meowth.

I looked up at me as I bent over it. I pushed the rock off of his foot, freeing him.

Just then, Onix's head turned back towards us, with a sharp glint in his eyes.

"Look out!"

I wasn't sure where the warning cry came from, but I was way ahead of it! Charren appeared, grabbed me, and flew up out of the way, carrying me and the Meowth to safety. She set us a little ways back and Polaris stood still and held her ground. Now that we were out of harms way, maybe Onix would stop.

On the contrary, Onix snapped his head around away from us and lunged again.

Two voices screamed out. There were still people there!

Polaris and Charren darted in again to stall the Onix. I continued to hold the Meowth in one arm. His foot was hurt, so he couldn't run away.

I moved forwards again to get around in front of the Onix. With my free hand, I reached for a third Pokéball and hurled it out. Kinesis emerged and immediately used Hypnosis. Onix tottered, his eyes drooped, and he went crashing to the ground.

I skirted around his snoring head to where I'd heard the screams. Polaris, Charren, and Kinesis followed me.

"That was some fancy battling."

I froze and looked around. That voice again. The one that had shouted "look out" earlier.

Finally I looked down to the Meowth I was still carrying.

He blinked at me. "Thanks for helping me."

OK. He was talking. I shut my eyes for a moment, and then opened them. "Sure. No problem. Those people who just screamed, are they friends of yours?"

Meowth nodded. "See, we accidentally kind of bothered a sleeping Onix."

"Hence the rampaging? Yeah. Not a smart thing to do."

"No kidding," Meowth sighed. "We was only after a Pikachu too."

I hopped over a fallen log towards the sound of muffled voices. I set Meowth down on a stump and searched around.

"Help! Help us! Meowth, where are you?" It was a man speaking.

"Meowth! I demand that you come and help us out of here this instant!" That was a woman's voice.

I came to an overhand of rock that was buried beneath fallen branches and rubble. The two people were trapped between that stuff.

"Kinesis, use Psychic to clear that away."

Alakazam raised his spoons and all of the logs floated up and out of the way. Two people clambered out of the hole and sat on the ground panting.

Meowth limped over to them, walking on his two hind legs. Meowth don't walk like that…

As I got a good look at the two people, I took an involuntary step backwards. They had Team Rocket uniforms. Granted, they were quite different that the ones I'd seen before (being white instead of black) but they had the big red R stamped on the front.

Team Rocket.

One of them was a woman with long red hair, and the other was a guy with bluish hair.

I tried to regain my senses. This could be a blessing in disguise! Maybe they knew something about Mewtwo!

They looked up and saw me standing there, watching them with an odd expression on my face.

"She got you out of there," Meowth informed the two people. "And she saved me from the wild Onix! This here's Jessie, and that's James. And I's Meowth!

James fell on his knees and bowed to me. "Thanks you for saving us from that thing!"

"Sure, thanks," Jessie added, not sounding quite so grateful. Charren landed behind me with Ponyta and Alakazam.

There was a grumbling sound and Jessie and James exchanged glances. One of their stomachs had just growled.

"We haven't eaten in a while, "Meowth noted, scuffing his good foot on the ground.

I sighed. "I have some extra food."

I reached into my pack and pulled out my lunch bag. There was food in there for my lunch and dinner, but I could get more later. Besides, if I could get these guys to talk…

The three of them fell on the sandwiches and cereal bars as though they were half starved. I hesitated, then placed an apple and orange in front of them.

As they were eating, I wrapped a bandage around Meowth's leg. He munched on a sandwich as I worked.

When they finished, both Jessie and James fell on their knees and bowed to me.

"Thanks you!" Jessie exclaimed.

"We shall be forever grateful for your food!" James added.

"And saving us from that Onix!" Meowth finished.

"Yeah. That's fine. I was wondering… do you know about a Pokémon that's about as big as me, and it's purple, and has a long tail? I think it belongs to Team Rocket."

"Prepare for Trouble!" Jessie chanted, jumping to her feet.

"Not now!" Meowth screeched, kicking her.

James looked thoughtful. "I think we might have, actually."

"Yeah. Something like that blew up the boss's mansion a few days ago," said Meowth. "And then it flew off."

"It blew up Giovanni's mansion and ran away?"

The three of them nodded.

"Why do you want to know?" Jessie demanded.

I shrugged nonchalantly. "I know Giovanni. I've been very interested in that Pokémon of his, but it sounds like it got away."

Maybe it was just because I helped them and fed them, but these guys didn't give off an evil aura as strong as the other Team Rocket guys I'd met. As much as I wanted nothing to do with them, it, might be very useful to be on good terms with some of them.

"You know the boss?" Jessie asked.

"Well… kind of."

"Are you from Team Rocket?"

Luckily I was distracted form answering when the Onix stirred.

Jessie, James and Meowth cowered behind me in fear.

I stood in front of them with my three Pokémon beside me. For a moment, Onix stared at us. I glared back at him.

_Enough fighting. We don't want anyone else getting hurt. You should go home. _

Luckily, Onix agreed. He eyed me for a few moments, and then turned and rumbled back off to the rocks.

Team Rocket released a sigh of relief.

"Thanks for your help," I said. "I guess I'd better get going. You should probably stay away from Onix for a while."

The three of them nodded. I returned Charren and Kinesis, and then jumped back onto Polaris's back. I turned to wave them farewell, and then we rode off again.

I hadn't asked where Giovanni's mansion was. That would have been too suspicious. But it couldn't be too far away. Once I was out of sight, I'd fly up with Charren and scan the area.

I was back on the road and had gone a short distance when we heard wing beats. To our astonishment, a Dragonite landed in front of us.

I stared in bewilderment as it reached into a bag slung around its shoulders and pulled out an envelope. I accepted the letter and opened it.

Inside was an electronic card.

The moment I pulled it free, a small holographic image appeared of a woman in a red dress. She curtsied and began to speak.

"Greetings, Pokémon trainers. I bear an invitation. You have been chosen to join a select group of Pokémon trainers at a special gathering. It will be hosted by my master, the world's greatest Pokémon trainer at his palace on New Island."

Her image disappeared to be replaced by a map.

"A chartered ferry will leave from Old Shore Wharf to take you to the island this afternoon. Only trainers who present this invitation will be admitted. If you decide to attend, you must reply at once. My master awaits you."


	6. The Eye of the Storm

Oh, I put up a random 1-chapter Harry Potter fanfic. You should go check it out!

Apologizing again for those who think it's stupid of me to steal the first movie.

**Tune into chapter 9 if you want to skip my account of the first movie (9 relives some, but not all of it - mainly the important parts). **

In my first draft (this one on fanfic is fiercely edited from the original), I stole a lot of stuff from movies and episodes and stuff, and I've taken pretty much all of it out (or I am GOING to take them out when I get that far). But this one was so important to me that I just couldn't do it! It may be cheesy, but at least I KNOW it's cheesy! Hahah!

Hence me stealing the first movie.

Polaris-Pontya, Charren-Charizard, Jarday-Jolteon, Flarga-Flareon, Ferry-Lapras, Kinesis-Alakazam.

The Eye of the Storm

I paced back and for the restlessly. Polaris and the Dragonite messenger watched me.

I got a challenge from the strongest Pokémon in the world. That's not at all suspicious. First of all, Lance had never mentioned anyone even remotely like this. And he was the head of the Elite Four. He should know about a so-called strongest trainer.

Very suspicious.

One part of me wanted to teach this "world's greatest Pokémon trainer" a lesson. No one can make a claim like that lightly. He must be pretty confident.

But I was supposed to be searching for Mewtwo. Although I didn't know where to look next…

_You should go, _Polaris said. _You should take a break anyway. And besides, don't you think it's suspicious that you're searching for the world's strongest Pokémon and instead you find the strongest Pokémon trainer?_ _That right there may be a clue. Perhaps an invitation to the very thing you're seeking? _

I stared at her. _You've got to be kidding. You think this guy and Mewtwo are somehow linked? _

_Linked enough that it may help you in your actual search. Besides, don't you feel it? _

_Feel it? _I paused and thought for a moment. I did feel it. A sense of urgency. I needed to go there.

I quickly checked an affirmative reply on the letter and handed it to Dragonite. He took off and zoomed out of sight.

I took out my Pokégear and left Ben a message, saying where I was headed.

"This guy even owns an island," I murmured, pocketing my phone. "Who the heck owns an island?" I paused and then rubbed the back of my head. "I guess Jed does. I suppose I could repeat my usual statement that this is a trap, but I don't care. If it's a trap, I'll break it. Polaris, return."

When Polaris was in her Pokéball, I released Charren. I hopped on her back and she took to the skies. Flying there would be much faster, especially since the ferry would depart rather soon.

As we were airborne, I noticed dark clouds billowing up across the ocean. I watched them with growing unease. They were heading to the mainland at unnatural speed. Charren wouldn't be able to fly during a storm. Her tail would be at risk of going out.

I could see the ocean in the distance. Maybe we'd make it to the dock before the storm hit.

"Faster, Charren!"

_Hmph. I'm trying! _

"We don't want to be stuck up here when that hits."

_That's no normal storm. _

"You mean because it's fast?"

_That's not all. _

"What do you mean?"

She didn't reply, but quickened her wing beats.

I saw the storm reach the coast. It was then that I realized how fast it was spreading. Only moments later, the wind hit us, hammering down on Charren's wings and making her spin wildly I the air.

I released Kinesis.

"Use Psychic to block some of the wind!"

He nodded. I braced him in place as he created a barrier around us to shield Charren from the worst of the wind. The rain came moments later. Kinesis was able to keep most of it off, but I could tell the strain was getting to both of them.

_This storm is so strong, I can't hold it back! _Said Kinesis, worried. Ordinarily, keeping rain and wind off would be no problem for an Alakazam. Something was wrong.

"OK. Land, Charren."

Gratefully, Charren descended and let me return her. I returned Kinesis as well.

I reluctantly sent out Polaris. The rain wouldn't be good for her either, but I needed her if I was going to get to the docks on time.

We galloped along the trail. Rain drenched Polaris's coat, and my clothes and hair soon became soaked. Finally we reached the ferry station. The waves were pounding against the shore, sending spray high into the air.

I returned Polaris and dove into the station to find it packed with trainers. Their Pokémon were anxious and antsy. Something was making all of them uneasy. My Pokémon had been like that too.

I stood to the side and wrung out my coat. Most of the trainers were gathered around the front of the station, listening to someone speak. I couldn't see over the heads of the other trainers, so I listened. Really, I couldn't hear much because the trainers kept mumbling amongst themselves.

"Hey, what's happening?" I asked a boy near me. "Is this where we're gonna catch a ferry to New Island?"

The kid shook his head. "The ferry to the island is canceled."

I cocked my head. "Does that mean that the whole event is canceled? Or are some people gonna try to get there without the ferry?"

The kid shrugged. "I dunno. The manager says it's too dangerous since Nurse Joy is missing."

"Missing?" I repeated.

Just then, three kids emerged from the crowd and ran past me, out into the storm.

"Hey!" I shouted, following them. "Are you going to New Island?"

The girl stopped and turned to me. "We're going there with our own Pokémon!" She turned and followed the two boys outside. I chased after them to see what they'd do.

One of the two boys sprinted to the edge of the dock, released a Pidgeot, and flew off into the storm. He was gonna fly for it.

The girl released a Dewgong, and the last boy let out a Gyarados. They plunged out into the waves.

I smirked. They said we were gonna catch a ferry to New Island. I didn't think I'd have to use my own Ferry.

I released Ferry, my Lapras and jumped onto her back. She let out a cry and turned into the waves.

I reached into my bag and pulled out a strange device that I slid into my mouth. It would let me breathe underwater. No sooner did I have it fitted than a huge wave rose ahead of us. I gave a nod to Ferry and she dove. The wave crashed above us, but we didn't feel it under the safety of the ocean. It would be much easier if we didn't have to fight the waves. I always carried one of these with me for emergency situations. Like now.

Ferry glided along underwater with me clinging to one of her spikes. Suddenly she coasted to a halt and turned around.

_What is it? _I asked, concerned.

_Wait. Someone…? _

I peered back in the direction of the wharf, but didn't see anything.

Ferry paddled upwards and broke the surface. We sat there, rising up and down on the waves. Just as we rose to the peak of one of them, I caught sight of a strange shape floating in the water. It took me a while to figure out what it was. It was three people! They were all clinging together, holding onto two small Pokémon. What on earth were they doing! Trying to cross the ocean like this with only a Staryu and Squirtle!

As I watched, a huge wave rose up and crashed down on them.

_Go, Ferry! _

She nodded and dove down again. She raced in the direction of where they had gone down, with me clinging to her shell. I saw one of them kicking desperately towards the surface. He'd gotten separated from the others.

He saw us approach and I reached out and grabbed his arm, puling him in so he could hold onto Ferry's shell. I blinked in surprise. It was Brock of the Pewter Gym!

He looked equally surprised to see me, but we needed to get to the surface so he could breathe. He didn't have a breathing device like mine.

We emerged onto the ocean's rough surface enough for Brock to get his breath back.

I removed my breath device and called, "We're going down again! Hold your breath!"

He nodded and we submerged once more.

A little ways away, the boy and the Squirtle were being pounded back down by the waves. Ferry rose up beneath them, catching them on her back. The girl and the Staryu were trying to stay on the surface, but without much success. Ferry was quickly at their side and let them climb up. Then she began the difficult task of swimming towards the island. Waves battered her back and forth and occasionally forced us under.

I didn't get a chance to look at the other two people I'd rescued, but they'd returned Squirtle and Staryu.

Quite suddenly, the water was still. We stopped and looked around. Out in front of us there was a calm, smooth ocean. We were in the eye of the storm. The sky was visible above us. And right in the center of the eye was a massive palace towering into the sky.

Another sense of unease swept over me. I was getting it the same as the Pokémon.

That was when I finally looked over at the other passengers. I already knew Brock. But I also recognized the other two people. One of them was the younger sister of the Cerulean gym leaders. Misty. And the other was the boy I'd met near Professor Oak's lab. His name was Ash, right? It was an unusual name, so I remembered it. And there was a Pikachu sitting on his shoulder. He gave a little shake and sent water spraying from his fur.

I stared stupidly at them for a minute.

"Thanks, Cara," Brock sighed.

"I know you," said Ash, pointing at me.

I nodded. "We've met."

"I think I've seen you somewhere too," Misty admitted.

I came to my senses. "What were all of you thinking! Going into a storm like this with only those two little Pokémon!"

"We had a boat," Ash said indignantly.

"A boat?" I repeated. "You think a boat's gonna get you through this?"

"It was pretty stupid," Brock admitted.

"Thanks though," Misty repeated. "For your help."

"I guess, "Ash sighed. "We wouldn't have made it without your help."

I sighed. "Yeah. Sure."

Ferry was cruising towards the island. I gave a small shudder and turned back to my companions.

"Brock, you left the gym?"

He nodded. "Yeah. My father's looking after it."

"And you left the Cerulean gym too, huh?" I asked Misty.

"Yeah. I wanted to train more, since I'm technically a gym leader."

"And Ash, I guess you're a trainer now, huh?"

He nodded. "That's right. I haven't seen you in over a year, so you wouldn't know."

The others turned to look at him.

"She used to visit when she came to Professor Oak's lab," he explained. "She taught me some about Pokémon."

"Then I suppose you know," said Brock, "that she won in the Pokémon League once."

Ash stared at me. "Really? You never told me that!"

I grumbled slightly and shrugged. "Oh, look. We're here."

I had made the comment lightly to change the subject. But I gulped as I realized how large the palace was.

A dim green lantern illuminated the dock. We stepped off of Ferry's shell and onto land. I returned her and faced the castle.

We were here.


	7. New Island

I would have liked to have my Pikachu, Ninetales, Gyarados, or Scyther on my team for this one, but that would have been a little redundant. Curse those trainers for having some of my favorite Pokémon!

I have kind of a random funny thing related to my story. About a month ago, there was this Pokemon thing where they gave away shiny Eevee. I wanted one, and it was amazingly close to my house, so I went. I got to know the people in line with me. One of them was named Ben. Now, I like to use the name Ben cause I really don't know anyone named Ben. But that's not all. In an email, he told me that he took apart and put back together a DS to try to fix it. And I thought:

O-O

A Pokemon-liking Ben that's good with electronic stuff. That's a bit of a scary coincidence. Though I run into a lot of coincidence stuff like that…

Polaris – Ponyta, Charren – Charizard, Ferry-Lapras, Kinesis-Alakazam, Jarday-Joltion, Flarga-Flareon.

New Island

As we pulled ourselves onto the dock, we saw that there was someone there waiting for us. It was the woman who had appeared in the holographic card.

She had a strangely blank look in her eyes. Everything about this island seemed… unnatural. And to top it off, she began to speak in an level, almost robotic voice.

"My master bids you welcome to New Island. Will you kindly present your invitation?"

Ash pulled his card from his pocket. I scrambled to retrieve mine from my now drenched bag. The water didn't seem to harm the cards at all, because the holograms appeared once more and said that we were allowed to enter.

Suddenly Brock burst out, "I knew I recognized that face!"

"What?" replied the woman, blankly.

"Aren't you the nurse who's missing from the treatment center?" Brock asked.

I blinked and squinted to get a better look at her face in the dim light. She did look a little like a Nurse Joy, but she sure didn't act like one…

The woman denied this claim, saying that she'd always worked for the master of the island.

Really, every moment was creeping me out more and more. It's something that comes from being able to talk to Pokémon – sensing things that most don't notice.

The woman began to lead us up a dreary pathway. I wasn't paying too much attention to my companions. I was glancing around, trying to get a feel for this place. I gulped and tried to beat down the anxiety within me. If I was too nervous, my reflexes would be compromised. I had to be alert, but not panicked. It's easy to say. Not too easy to do.

We arrived at a pair of massive double doors that opened by themselves. All of us stepped inside.

The nurse Joy look-alike began to speak again.

"Now that you are here, all trainers worthy of an audience with my master are present."

I looked across the room. It was a cavernous hall lined with columns that held lamps. A table stood in middle of the room. Behind it was a strange spiraling structure that reached all the way to the ceiling. The wall opposite us seemed to be made of some strange stained glass.

There were only three people seated at the table. Their Pokémon teams were gathered around the huge room.

I tuned back in time to hear the woman saying, "Only the trainers capable of braving the storm have proven themselves worthy in my master's eyes."

I clenched my fist. Did that mean what I thought it meant?

"Do you mean that storm was some kind of test?" Brock asked, echoing my thoughts.

The woman didn't reply, but instead said, "Please release your Pokémon from their Pokéballs and join the others. It will not be long before my master's intentions are clear."

To complete that ominous statement, the two great doors swung shut behind us.

The others began to release their Pokémon. Ash let out his Squirtle and Bulbasaur to join his Pikachu. Brock let out a Vulpix and Misty released Psyduck. She also had a Togepi. It had been hiding in her bag, but she pulled it out to walk along beside her.

I hesitated, then let out my team: Polaris, Charren, Ferry, Kinesis, Jarday, and Flarga.

"What took you guys so long?" Asked the boy with the Pidgeot.

I began to examine the teams of the other three trainers.

The boy who had just spoken was named Corey. He had Pidgeot, Venusaur, Hitmonlee, Scyther, Sahdslash, and Rhyhorn.

One side of the hall held a large pool. It contained Vaporeon, Tentacruel, Gyarados, Golduck, and Seadra. There was a Nidoqueen standing beside the pool. That team belonged to the larger boy, Fergus.

The girl's name was Neesha. She had Wigglytuff, Blastoise, Vileplume, Dewgong, Ninetales, and Rapidash.

All of their Pokémon did look in good shape. They seemed formidable opponents.

The lights went out. My hyperactive nerves made me jump badly. Polaris steadied me by placing her head against my back.

For a moment, everyone glanced around in confusion. The Pokémon fidgeted uneasily. Then everyone turned to the tall spiral structure. A beam of light had suddenly appeared in its center, stretching all the way down to the ground.

The strange woman turned to us and said, "You are about to meet my master. The time has come to encounter the greatest Pokémon master on Earth."

Something appeared at the top of the spiral. It was floating down through the center of the column of light. From a distance, it almost looked human. But as it drew nearer to ground level, my insides turned to ice. It was a purple Pokémon with a long tail. Mewtwo. The very Pokémon I'd been searching for.

I lost my balance for a moment and fell sideways against Ferry's neck. I braced myself there, feeling suddenly dizzy.

Mewtwo landed at the base of the spiral. The woman continued to speak. I heard her through a daze as she said, "Yes. The world's greatest Pokémon master is also the most powerful Pokémon on Earth. This is the ruler of New Island and soon the whole world. Mewtwo."

Part of the dream flashed through my mind, and for a moment, I once again tasted that hatred that Mewtwo had felt when he'd destroyed the lab.

I didn't even realize that I'd fallen to my knees until Charren tugged on the back of my shirt. I staggered to my feet again.

I was dragged from my daze when Fergus jumped to his feet and shouted, "A Pokémon can't be a Pokémon master! No way!"

I flinched. After what I'd seen in my dream, the last thing I wanted to do was upset Mewtwo. But the woman had said that he planned on becoming the ruler of the Earth.

Just then the woman spoke again. There was a strange echoing quality to her voice. It took me a moment to realize that Mewtwo was speaking in unison with her, using his telepathy.

"Quiet, human. From now on, I am the one who makes the rules."

Mewtwo raised an arm and blue energy glowed about him. Fergus let out a cry of pain as the blue energy surrounded him and lifted him high off the ground. Mewtwo gave a small chuckle, and then cast the boy into the pool with his Gyarados. Fergus surfaced and furiously set his Gyarados on Mewtwo. Gyarados opened its jaws wide and blasted out a Hyper Beam. Mewtwo causally raised an arm, and the Hyper Beam twisted in mid air and doubled back, striking Gyarados and slamming it back against the wall. It slumped into the pool.

"Child's play," said Mewtwo and the woman in unison.

Then Mewtwo spoke on his own. "Your usefulness has ended."

He gave a wave of his hand and the woman tumbled to the ground. Her head dress fell to the ground, revealing that distinct red hair of Nurse Joy. Brock had been right.

Brock rushed to her side as Nurse Joy came to. So, Mewtwo had been controlling her. He had that kind of power… it wasn't limited only to destroying things.

"How did I get here?" Nurse Joy asked, glancing around in confusion.

"You have been under my control," Mewtwo explained calmly. "I transported you here from the Pokémon center. Your knowledge of Pokémon physiology proved useful to my plan. And now I have cleansed your tiny human brain of memories from the past few weeks."

His plan. What was that? Up till this point, I'd been hoping to find Mewtwo to help him. But now… I was afraid he'd gone too far. He was a danger to the world. With power like his… was there any way to stop him without getting rid of him?

"Who are you?" Brock demanded.

"I am the new ruler of this world, the master of humans and Pokémon alike. You humans are a dangerous species. You brought me into your world with no purpose but to be your slave. But now I have my own purpose. My storm will create my own world by destroying yours."

I felt like I should say something. Do something, but I was frightened. And I didn't know what I should do. I thought of Ben, Mom, Dad, and the other friends I'd made during my journey. All of them were in danger. And I was just standing there.

"So, you hate all humans? And you're going to destroy us to save Pokémon?" Brock shouted.

Mewtwo shook his head. "No. Your Pokémon will not be spared. They have disgraced themselves by serving humans. Those Pokémon are nothing by slaves."

"No!" I shouted, stepping forwards. "That's not true! It's a partnership! We help them and they help us!"

Mewtwo sneered, but was distracted from me when Ash's Pikachu jumped forwards. He started shouting to Mewtwo in Pokémon talk.

"So, you say I am wrong?" Mewtwo replied to Pikachu. "That you are not this human's servant, you are his friend?"

Pikachu nodded.

"You are as pathetic as the rest." Mewtwo's eyes glowed, and he sent Pikachu flying backwards. Luckily Ash caught him.

"Humans and Pokémon can never be friends," Mewtwo continued.

The unprovoked attack against Pikachu made the rest of the trainers angry. Corey sent his Rhyhorn at Mewtwo, but once again. Mewtwo sent his opponent flying backwards. Rhyhorn skidded across the table and crashed to the ground.

"Fools." Mewtwo sounded annoyed. "Your Pokémon attacks cannot weaken me. My powers are too great. No trainer can conquer me."

"Then you won't mind proving it in a real match!" Ash shouted.

For the first time, Mewtwo smiled. "Is that a challenge?"

"You bet it is."

I wondered if Ash had just done something very stupid. What kind of Pokémon would Metwo have to battle with?

Then three Pokémon appeared, rising up into the hall through holes in the floor.

It was Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise. But they were different. Strange green markings covered their bodies. They weren't _normal. _

"Like most Pokémon trainers," Mewtwo explained, "I too began with Charmander, Bulbsaur, and Squirtle. Bur for their evolved forms I used their genetic material to clone even more powerful copies."

The large stained glass wall covering one side of the hall suddenly opened, revealing a huge stadium behind it. Lights flashed on, illuminating the arena. So, there was a stadium here. He'd planned this battle from the start. That worried me.

"Your fake Venusaur can't beat my real one, right Bruteroot!" Shouted Corey.

"We'll blow away that Blastoise, won't we Shellshocker?" Neesha announced.

I turned sharply to Charren. She was tough. One of my top players. But honestly, I didn't want to take part in this fight.

I was saved from entering Charren when Ash pulled out a Pokéball of his own "It may not have a nickname, but I do have Charizard! I choose you!"

He threw out a Pokéball, revealing a Charizard of his own.

I could tell instantly by the look in that Charizard's eye. It was half wild.

This was proved a moment later when Charizard blasted flame out at Mewtwo, much to Ash's shock.

I sunk my head into my hands. That Charizard couldn't win. I should have told Charren to fight…

The flames cleared, showing that Mewtwo had been completely unscathed by the heat. "Your Charizard is poorly trained.

I lagged behind as the rest of the trainers entered the stadium. Why was I here? Mew, she'd called me. That was the only reason I knew what was going on. That was also the reason I felt too sacred to do anything. I felt so useless. I hadn't even volunteered to battle against Mewtwo's team. _Why _was I here?

Bruteroot, the Venusaur, stepped forwards. The cloned Venusaur stomped up to face its opponent. And the battle began.


	8. Three on Three

I wish there were more words for "suddenly. " It gets old when you keep using "suddenly" during the fast-paced parts of our story.

Polaris–Ponyta, Charren–Charizard, Ferry-Lapras, Kinesis-Alakazam, Jarday-Jolteon, Flarga-Flareon.

Three on Three

I took a step backwards, my eyes widening in shock. It had barely been ten seconds, and the superclone Vanusaur had already slammed Bruteroot into submission with Vine Whip. The clone let out a cry of victory.

Shellshocker, the Blastoise charged forwards, determined to do better. But the clone's Rapid Spin cut right through Shellshocker's Hyrdo Pump, and Neesha's Blastoise was crushed into the wall.

I clenched my fists tightly. I'd never imagined that those super clones would be like this…

I turned to Charren. She was glaring at the battlefield with an intense expression. I wondered if she was disappointed that I hadn't told her to fight. Maybe she was glad not to have to fight such overwhelming odds. I was almost afraid to ask.

I turned back in time to watch Ash's Charizard shoot a blast of flame at the clone. The clone dodged and the two of them soared up into the air. The clone continued to dodge, and dashed in to throw blows at Ash's Charizard. There was no contest between them. Ash's Charizard wasn't fast enough. He couldn't' deal so much as one successful blow. Finally the clone wrapped an arm around his opponent's neck and the two dropped out of the sky. The clone landed heavily on top of Charizard, slamming him into the ground.

I took a step forwards. Now it was my turn. I was determined to do my part.

But Mewtwo didn't take any notice of me. As he stood opposite us with the three clones, he said, "As the victor, I now claim my prize: Your Pokémon."

I didn't comprehend what was happening at first. Three black Pokéballs with large eyes engraved on them appeared and shot forwards. Each one sped to one of the defeated Pokémon, and a moment later, Charizard, Bruteroot, and Shellshocker had been secured inside of them.

Fury raged up inside of me. How dare he?

I sprinted several steps forwards in front of my companions.

"Hey! You stop that! I haven't gotten a chance to battle yet!"

"Then you should have stepped forwards sooner," Mewtwo replied.

"What are you gonna do with those Pokémon?" Misty shouted.

"I will extract their DNA to make clones for myself." He waved his arms, and instantly, dozens of those same black Pokéballs appeared in the air around him. "They will remain safe on this island with me while my storm destroys the planet."

The Pokéballs rose up into the air. "This is my world now," Mewtwo growled.

I didn't wait to see the cloud of Pokéballs flying towards us. I reached for the nearest Pokéball at my belt and returned Polaris. I dropped the Pokéball safely in my bag and reached for the next. By the time I returned Charren and put her Pokéball into my bag, I turned in time to see my Lapras disappear into one of Mewtwo's Pokéballs.

"No!" I shouted, lunging forwards and grabbing for the ball. But it had vanished amid the swarm of flying spheres.

Jolteon sent out a blast of electricity, sending some of the Pokéballs bouncing to the floor. But another wave came, stealing away Kinesis, Jarday, and Flarga.

I snatched at one of the Pokéballs, but tripped and landed hard on the ground. As the Pokéball cracked against the ground, it opened to reveal that it was empty. I'd grabbed the wrong one.

Desperate and panting for breath, I turned to see that almost all of the other Pokémon had disappeared. A moment later, it was only Ash's Pikachu left.

But Pikachu too was finally captured.

With the last of our Pokémon stolen from us (except Polaris, Charren, and Misty's Togepi) the Pokéballs flew away and disappeared down a hole that had opened in the floor. Ash dove in after them, and the floor sealed up behind him.

Rage boiled up in me and finally overflowed. This was too much.

"You!" I screamed, running several steps towards Mewtwo and stopping in the middle of the stadium. "How dare you! I won't let you hurt my Pokémon! I won't let you hurt the ones you stole, and I won't let you hurt anyone outside!" I though of Ben, the Pokémon on Avalon, my parents, and all of the friends I'd made during my journey. I couldn't let anything happen to them. "It would be one thing if you only wanted to attack the humans, but you are worse than anyone if you decide just to kill _everyone! _And no matter what happens to us, there will be someone to stop you!"

I'd lost it. I knew it. And what's more. I'd lost it to a Pokémon who already had major problems with humans, and had proved that he was perfectly willing to hurt those who annoyed him.

Mewtwo narrowed his eyes. "No one can stop me. I am the strongest in the world."

"That doesn't mean that you're stronger than everyone put together! YOU WON'T WIN!"

Fiery blue energy surrounded me and flung me backwards across the stadium. I crashed heavily to the ground.

I blacked out.

_I was floating in the tank. Bubbles rose up around me. I opened my eyes and my psychic powers broke the glass of the tank. The scientists gathered around and spoke to me. My heart sank as I realized how little these humans cared for me. A tool. An experiment. That was all I was. _

The dream ended, but a lingering feeling of sorrow and betrayal remained.

I blinked and opened my eyes as I came to. Brock and Nurse Joy were bending over me.

I'd only been out for about a minute. I groaned and sat up.

Mewtwo. It wasn't his fault he was like this. No one had ever shown him any kindness. He had no reason to think that people were any good. Even here, away from Team Rocket, everyone was mad at him because of what he was doing.

I noticed that Mewtwo was saying something. I staggered to my feet and leaned against the wall to listen.

"Humans, you have served my purpose. I am sparing your lives, for the moment."

The large doors opened to show the storm raging outside.

"But you cannot escape your fate. The hour of my vengeance draws near."

The wall beside the huge spiral structure exploded in a cloud of smoke. Everyone turned to watch as a herd of Pokémon came charging through. Were they the Pokémon Mewtwo had stolen from us? No. They were clones. I could tell from the feel of them, though none of them had the strange markings of the Venusaur, Blastoise, and Charizard.

Mewtwo had cloned our Pokémon already? I could see a Lapras, Flareon, Jolteon, and Alakazam among them. Cloned from my Pokémon… But there was a Meowth there too. There hadn't been a Meowth on anyone's team, had there?

And where were our Pokémon?

"Behold," Mewtwo announced. "With Pokémon and humans eliminated, the clones shall inherit the world."

Ash's voice echoed across the stadium. "You can't do this. I won't let you."

Everyone turned to see Ash striding out of the settling dust cloud. Behind him came all of the original Pokémon. I smiled, relief flooding me. They were all OK.

"Stop, you idiot!" I suddenly shouted. Ash had just charged forwards again, and he swung a punch at Mewtwo. Without even moving, Mewtwo sent Ash flying backwards. Ahs landed and charged again, and this time Mewtwo threw him high into the air. I gasped. It looked like he was about to hit the wall high above us. All of a sudden, a pink bubble appeared out of nowhere, catching Ash safely on it.

That bubble-I recognized it…

"Mew!" I shouted. She appeared, floating up next to Ash. She was here! Thank goodness!

"Can it be?" Mewtwo gasped. His expression quickly hardened, and he sent a sphere of black psychic power at Mew. She tumbled backwards and turned in time to see another of Mewtwo's attacks coming at her. She teleported out of harm's way, and then again, vanishing from the path of each of Mewtwo's attacks. Then she flipped in a circle and giggled. This was a big game to her!

She drifted down and gave me a wink. I returned a faint smile.

"I may have been cloned from your DNA," Mewtwo growled, "But now I will prove that Mewtwo is better than the original. Superior to Mew."

Mew turned and gazed at him.

"This world is too small for two of us," Mewtwo continued, floating up off of the ground.

Mew turned and darted away. Mewtwo pursued her, but she only dodged his attacks, refusing to return fire.

"Why do you flee from me?" he demanded. "Are you afraid to find out which of us is greater?"

Mewtwo blasted out another sphere, and this time it hit. Mew gave a little squeak as the attack blasted her far off into the sky and out of sight behind the storm clouds.

I didn't realize that I had my fists pressed to my mouth.

But a moment later, a glowing blue sphere shot back down from the sky and hit Mewtwo, slamming him backwards into the bleachers.

I flinched and pulled myself into the stands and peered down into the hole that had been blasted through them. Despite myself, I was almost hoping that he hadn't been badly hurt. I _couldn't _hate him. I'd seen what he'd been through. It wasn't his fault.

_You don't have to do this, _I whispered as I neared the hole. _I know people have been mean to you, but not everyone is like that! There are good people out there too. Please, understand, and let me talk with you! _

He wasn't listening to me. I wasn't sure if he'd even heard.

Mewtwo rose back up, and stared at me for a moment. His eyebrows raised slightly. That expression… had he… recognized me? I'd met him in a dream, so could it be possible for him to have seen me as well? That thought vanished when a shove of energy pushed me backwards out of Mewtwo's way. Mewtwo flew up past me.

Mew appeared again, and Mewtwo floated up to meet her.

"So, you do have some fight in you. But I have no time for games. Destiny is at hand. Who will rule? My super Pokémon? Or your pathetic group of spineless inferior Pokémon? We were created with powers far stronger than the originals."

Then Mew began to speak.

_Showing off your powers proves nothing. One's true power comes from the heart. _

"My clones don't need their powers to prove their worth," Mewtwo snarled. For emphasis, he shot another attack at Mew, who dodged. "I will block all the Pokémon's special abilities using my psychic powers. Now we shall see who triumphs. Go!"

The two groups of Pokémon cried out and charged forwards to meet each other.


	9. Tears of Life

Sorry for stealing the spotlight. This is only slightly less corny than what Ash does. I don't think I can do this part of the movie justice, but I'll do my best.

Polaris–Ponyta, Charren–Charizard, Ferry-Lapras, Kinesis-Alakazam, Jarday-Jolteon, Flarga-Flareon.

Tears of Life

The clones and the original Pokémon all charged forwards clashing together in the center of the stadium like two tidal waves colliding. It took only moments for each Pokémon to find their pair, and then they began to fight. Dewgong rammed at each other with their horns. The Rapidash locked their horns together. Nidoqueen exchanged blows.

I took a step forwards as I saw my Flareon dash past in pursuit of his clone. But I had to jump out of the way as the two Blastoise tumbled towards me.

I faced the field, my mouth hanging open. I wanted to do something to help, but I didn't know what to do. I watched helplessly as the Scyther clashed their blades, the Gyarados clamped their jaws down on each other, and the Bulbasaur slammed their heads together. Ferry and her clone were swinging their heads at each other like clubs, and Kinesis and the clone Alakazam were dueling with their spoons.

Without any of their special abilities, they were perfectly matched. None of them could get the upper hand against their opponent. And as they exchanged blows, every Pokémon on the field became weaker and more exhausted. I caught sight of Ash's Pikachu. His clone was attacking ferociously, but Pikachu was refusing to fight back. I bit my lip. Out of all of these Pokémon, only one was refusing to fight. And he could barely stand from the number of hits he'd taken.

Should I tell my Pokémon not to fight? If I did that, they'd only get hurt more. Maybe if they took the defensive instead, only trying to protect themselves instead of hurting their opponent…

I clenched my fists and turned away from the battlefield. Above us, Mewtwo and Mew had each surrounded themselves in a protective bubble, and were tackling each other with their shields. They too were evenly matched. Their shields held, withstanding strike after strike. The two psychic warriors didn't even look at the furious battles waging below.

I turned in time to see one of the Blastoise stagger and fall against his opponent. The two of them crashed to the ground. They couldn't even remain standing anymore. If they kept fighting like this, with them so perfectly matched, they'd kill each other.

I took another step away from the rest of the trainers, who were huddled against the wall behind me. I'd seen my Jolteon limping towards me. Her clone was following weakly.

I dropped to my knees and scooped Jarday up in my arms, hugging her. She was panting heavily, her eyes shut tight.

Her clone stood a few feet away, bristling and baring her teeth. Her feet gave out and she fell to the ground.

Still holding Jarday in one arm, I scooted closer to the Jolteon clone. She growled and flinched as I drew near her. I sighed, and then reached out and placed my hand on her head. She lashed out with her paw, scratching my arm and drawing blood. I didn't react. Instead I slowly stroked the clone's head. She was too weak to resist anymore. She bared her teeth, at first, then began to relax slightly.

Jarday flopped to the ground next to me. I reached up to brush a tear off of my cheek, then began to pet her too.

From the corner of my eye, I spotted two Meowth. They were against the far wall of the stadium. And they weren't fighting at all. I barely even registered the fact that the two Team Rocket people were there – the ones I'd met earlier.

I just didn't care about that.

_Don't fight, _I whispered to the two Jolteon. _It won't prove anything. See what it's doing to everyone? _

"Stop," I said in a choked voice. I brushed my face off with my wrist. I could hear the Pokémon crying in my head. They were hurting so bad…

"What do I do? Mew, you told me about this for a reason. What do I do? How do I stop them from fighting?"

I stood up, leaving the two Jolteon sitting there. They were so exhausted that they didn't even move.

I stepped forwards to the next nearest Pokémon: the two Charizard.

They turned to face me, wobbling dangerously on their feet. Both of them bared their teeth and the clone took a snap in my direction. I stood there, staring at the ground.

I shut my eyes. Could I say something to stop them from fighting? Would my words mean enough?

_Please. Please, don't. I don't want you to get hurt. Either of you. _

The two Charizard continued to growl at me.

I heard a cry behind me and turned to see Ash arriving. I hadn't even noticed him climbing back down the wall from where Mewtwo had thrown him. I'd been worried about everything else. But it looked like he'd hurt his leg as he jumped down the last ledge. He was collapsed on the ground.

The two Charizard had resumed fighting, clawing and snapping at each other weakly. The clone whapped me with his wing, almost knocking me over. I took several steps away from them. The two Charizard suddenly collapsed against each other. They were spent.

Mewtwo and Mew dropped from the sky, stopping just feet from the floor. None of the Pokémon were standing anymore. They lay scattered across the ground, motionless next to their partners. Only Mewtwo and Mew were still fighting.

The two of them faced each other across the stadium. The static from their last attack knocked out the lights, casting shadow over most of the field. But the arena was illuminated again as the two began to glow , creating a fiery aura around them. Suddenly the two shot out beams of psychic energy. The two attacks collided with such force that Mewtwo and Mew were pushed backwards. They immediately began to prepare another attack. They were blind to all else. They didn't' see a Gyarados lash out its tail and accidentally strike one of the Pikachu. The Pikachu was sent flying and landed near the middle of the stadium, right in the line of fire of Mewtwo and Mew's attacks.

It was the clone Pikachu.

I let my bag drop to the ground. I threw myself forwards, sprinting as fast as I could to the spot where the Pikcahu had fallen. Mewtwo and Mew were glowing again, ready to unleash their next attack.

_I can make it. I can get there I time. _

I put on an extra burst of speed as the two unleashed their attacks.

_I can still make it through! Almost there! _

I was only feet away now. The Pikchu was trying desperately to scramble out of the way. The two psychic attacks were closing in with alarming speed.

_No, I won't be able to get out in time. But I can at least do this… _

I threw myself off of my feet, sliding forwards and twisting around, using my foot to push the Pikachu out of the range of the attacks. Before I could roll out of the way, the two attacks surrounded me, drowning me in the light.

_Brock Ash and Misty cried out as they saw Cara get struck by the psychic attacks. The Pokémon sat up and stared wide-eyed as the sparks from the attack faded. Cara was lying her back in the center of the stadium, as still as stone. _

_Mew gave a horrified cry. The Pikachu clone staggered to his feet, staring at the girl on the ground. _

_Two flashes of red illuminated the stadium as the two Pokéballs_ _in Cara's pack burst open, revealing Polaris and Charren. Jolteon, Flareon, Lapras, and Alakazam cried out miserably. _

"_Fool!" Mewtwo gasped. _

_The rest of the Pokémon slowly got to their feet, seeing that the human had just sacrificed herself to help one of the clones. _

_The clone Pikachu stepped hesitantly towards Cara and touched her. She didn't move. _

_Polaris trotted up and lowered her head. She nuzzled Cara's foot, but Cara still didn't stir. A single tear fell from the horse's eye and splashed to the ground. _

_Mew landed on Polaris's back, Tears streaming down her cheeks. Charren and the rest of Cara's Pokémon were crying also, and so were the Jolteon and Pikachu clones. _

_Then something began to happen. The tears began to float, drifting through the air towards Cara. All of the Pokémon, both clones and the originals, let out sad moans, tears overflowing from their eyes. The droplets formed glistening trails of dewdrops that drifted towards the fallen trainer. As they touched her, they began to glow. _

_Mewtwo watched, shocked. He hadn't meant for something like this to happen. But that girl had saved one of his own clones. A single tear came to his eye and flowed into the sparkling streams. _

_Cara's body began to glow brightly. The tears stopped as all of the Pokémon watched the brilliant blue glow illuminate the stadium. The light slowly faded and Cara stirred. _

I slowly opened my eyes. Something told me that I shouldn't be able to do so, but I was awake.

Something landed on my stomach. I lifted my head to see Mew there.

"Oh, hi," I said, smiling weakly.

Mew jumped at me, hugging me and crying.

_I'm sorry! I'm sorry Cara! I hit you! I didn't want to! _

"Oh, it's ok." Actually, I had no idea what had just happened. Crying? The Pokémon had been crying?

_The tears brought you to life. _It was Polaris. She walked up and nuzzled my shoulder. I wrapped an arm around her neck and smiled.

"Really? The Pokémon saved me?"

The clone Pikachu appeared, shifting hesitantly on his feet.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Pika," he replied. He smiled.

"That's good."

I looked around. All of the Pokémon had stopped fighting. They were even smiling at each other. Were they really that happy that I was OK? Happy enough to make peace?

Mew flew up next to Mewtwo. I heard him as he spoke to Mew.

"She sacrificed herself to save one of the Pokémon. Not even one of the real Pokémon, but one of my clones. I pitted the Pokémon against each other, but not until they set aside their differences did I see the true power they all share deep inside."

Mew nodded in agreement.

"I see now that the circumstances of one's birth are irrelevant. It is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are."

I got to my feet, using Polaris to stabilize myself. I felt slightly wobbly, but I could at least stand.

Mewtwo began to glow. He used his powers to life all of his clones off of the ground and bring them up into the air with them. Gyarados and Venusaur were lifted as though they were weightless. Pikachu and Jolteon floated into the air, smiling with the joy of flight.

I gave a small gasp. They were leaving!

_Wait! Mewtwo! If you're leaving, bring me! I need to speak with you! _

There was a pause, and then a moment later I felt myself lifted off of the ground. Polaris and the rest of my team rose up with me.


	10. Happy to be Home

Polaris–Ponyta, Charren–Charizard, Ferry-Lapras, Kinesis-Alakazam, Jarday-Jolteon, Flarga-Flareon.

Happy to be Home

I laughed as I felt myself drifting up on the air, light as a feather. I'd flown with Charren before, but never _floated. _

I turned and raised my hand in farewell to Ash, Misty and Brock. They and the other trainers watched us wide-eyed as we rose high above the stadium.

Polaris whinnied, tossed her hooves, and placed her forehead against my back. She was, as always, unafraid. Even when her hooves were far from solid ground.

I smiled. The weight that had been resting on my heart all day had lifted finally. Things were fine again. And I'd found Mewtwo.

But now I had to speak with him. He wasn't evil. That didn't mean that he wasn't dangerous. And he'd changed. I guess my dying changed him. Would I be able to help him anymore?

We joined the flock of flying clones. The Pikachu and Jolteon drifted over to greet me. I patted them both on the head. I wanted to hug them, but I wasn't sure how well they'd receive that… I dunno.

Mewtwo was flying out across the ocean, carrying all of us with him. Mew glided along beside him, turning to wink at me. She doubled back, grabbing my hand, and she pulled me up towards Mewtwo.

_He didn't want to bring you along, _she informed me. _But I said that he needed to. That you were my friend. _

_Thanks, Mew. I'm glad to be your friend. _

Mew smiled. _You helped me. _

_Well, you were only in trouble in the first place because you tried to help me. _

_Not the first time. _

_What? _I didn't know what she meant by that. I didn't get a chance to ask though. We'd just drawn level with Mewtwo. He glanced at me, then turned back to the front.

"I'll return the other trainers and their Pokémon to the mainland," he informed me.

"Yeah, thanks." I took a deep breath. I was nervous speaking to him. "Um, Mewtwo? Where are you going? You and your clones?"

"I don't know," he admitted.

"Uh… I know where you can go," I blurted. I froze, amazed that I'd just said that.

Mewtwo glanced at me again. "What did you have in mind?"

"Well, see, there's this island. A really big one. Only me and my friend ever go there. And you could stay there and… be safe. You and the clones. No one would bother you, and you'd have plenty of room to go around, and stuff…" I trailed off lamely.

"Perhaps," said Mewtwo, giving a little nod.

He still seemed rather cold and distant with me. Although his whole attitude towards people wouldn't change all at once. At least he's not trying to kill anyone anymore. Damn, even when I die, I can't get him to open up to me. Whatever. What do I expect? I was here with him, and he was speaking with me. That was more than I could have hoped just ten minutes ago.

"I don't think it's too far from here," I said, rubbing my forehead. "Do you want instructions?"

"I got them already. I read your mind."

Ah, well, that's slightly strange…

"OK." Boy, I'm just great at this aren't I? Making new friends? Jeez, I can't even talk without my voice shaking now. I'd felt wonderful when I first floated off the ground. Now I was nervous as heck. I was afraid of saying something that might set him off again. I didn't want him to drop me, or something. I mean, I knew it wasn't going to happen, but the ocean was a LONG way below us, and Mewtwo was the only thing that was keeping me from falling. This is what made me decide not to mention my dream yet. I'd wait till we were on solid ground.

I took several more deep breaths.

"Do I make you nervous?"

I shot a glance over at Mewtwo. He wasn't looking at me. He was flying on, his eyes fixed straight ahead.

I paused and thought for a moment.

"I don't think I'm afraid of you," I admitted slowly. "I guess, I'm afraid for you."

He hadn't expected to hear that. "What?"

I looked in the other direction. That was a weird thing to say. By now, I was pretty disgusted by my speech abilities.

"It was you, wasn't it?"

"What?" I asked, turning back towards him.

"When Mew's attack first hit me back at New Island, you spoke with me. You have telepathy. And you tried to say something that would calm me down. Only I didn't listen. I didn't even know it was a human speaking, let alone one of the trainers I'd invited. And when I was blasted back into the stands, you jumped up to where I'd fallen. You were trying to figure out if I was OK, weren't you?"

I didn't reply. I wasn't sure what to say.

"I'm sorry."

That startled me again.

"I don't suppose I deserve your concern," he continued. "And I don't suppose my apology means much, coming from someone who, minutes ago, would have killed you without a second thought."

I flinched. This conversation wasn't going in the direction that I'd hoped.

"That's OK," I said lamely. I wanted to say something more. But "let's be friends" would have sounded rather awkward.

"I'm glad you're all right," I added a minute later.

Mewtwo was silent again. The conversation had ended.

Mew and I drifted backwards to join the rest of the clones. Mewtwo remained at the front, heading towards Avalon. It would be a while before we arrived.

During the rest of our flight, I spoke with the clones, making up names for some of them. I like making up names.

My team remained by my side. Polaris, especially, remained very close to me. She was being rather protective considering, well, I'd just died.

The Pikachu and the Jolteon clones were the first to make friends with me. But the other clones were pretty friendly too. Their tears, after all, had brought me back to life. I was glad that they were all OK now. They were tired, yes, but overall, OK. And they were smiling. That was great. They had had very short lives. Lives filled with nothing but misunderstanding, and fighting. Now they could finally be happy. And I was happy too.

I began to relax again, playing some made-up airborne games with the clones.

After a while, there was a chattering among all of the Pokémon. Avalon had just come into view. And we began our descent.

Our group landed in the big meadow, between the house and the lake.

The arrival of about 40 Pokémon from the sky caused something of a commotion. All of the Pokémon grazing in the meadow lifted their heads and stared at us. Nova, my Rapidash, looked like he wanted to greet us, but was nervous about all these strange new Pokémon. So Polaris trotted over to greet him.

Ferry looked happy to have her flippers on firm ground once more, but many of the clones seemed disappointed that the flight had ended.

Avalon gave me a new courage. I didn't feel quite so nervous as I approached Mewtwo this time.

"I think everyone should rest for a while. They all need it," I said, gesturing to the clones. "But when everyone's feeling better…" I hesitated. "Well, I never got a chance to challenge your Charizard to a battle. It would just a friendly match. Not a serious fight. But since I didn't challenge you at the island…"

Mewtwo examined me and didn't reply for a few moments. "A friendly match," he repeated.

"Yeah. Battles don't need to be violent. You can spar just to have fun and test each other's strengths."

"I've never done one of those before," he admitted.

"Well, uh, this should be fun then. But I don't want to battle when everyone's so tired though."

_I'm not tired! _Mew said, leaning against my shoulder.

I smiled. "Yeah. But I'm tired too, actually." I almost said "I guess dying does that to you," but that would have been pretty weird.

"I guess you can all rest out here. I don't think you'll all fit in the house." I rubbed the back of my head, examining Gyarados. "I need to go find Ben. He's my friend. He should be inside now. I just want to let him know I'm home."

Mewtwo watched me again.

"Do you want to come? "I asked, not sure what he wanted.

He shook his head. "No. I'll wait out here with the others."

"OK. I'll be back in a minute."

I went to take a step, but my foot twisted to the side and I promptly fell flat on the ground. After flying for so long, I felt weird to walk again. Plus I was still a bit weak from… earlier.

I got back to my feet, blushing fiercely, and headed off to the house as fast as I could without falling again.

I pushed open the door. I felt so strange doing so. By all rights, I shouldn't have been able to walk through this door anymore. I guess dying really changes your view on life.

I didn't need to go far. Pooka came racing up to me to greet me. Ben appeared a moment later. He'd obviously noticed all of the Pokémon in the front yard cause he looked slightly alarmed.

"Cara! You're back! What's going on? What's with all those guys out front?"

"Ah, it's a really long story. Want to come outside? There's someone I want you to meet. And there's a story you should hear."

…

I yawned and sat up, blinking sleepily. I'd just woken up from my nap. Well, I guess it was heavier than a nap. It was already morning. I'd slept for several hours.

I was in the front yard, leaning against Polaris's side as she dozed. Mew was snuggled up next to me. She gave a little sigh in her sleep and her tail twitched. The clones were scattered all around me, asleep. Ben was asleep too, with his Arcanine. But the one person I didn't see was…

I sat up slowly, shifting Mew onto my lap so I wouldn't disturb her.

Oh, there he is. Mewtwo was up on the roof, facing away from us and staring into the distance.

I hesitated. I guess now would be as good a time as any.

I set Mew in the grass where I'd been sitting and stood up, making my way towards the house. I went to the trellis and began to climb. I finally heaved myself onto the roof.

Mewtwo was already watching me.

"Did you get any rest?" I asked.

He turned away again. "No."

"Oh." I rubbed my head. "Uh, listen. Can I tell you something?"

"Mm."

"Well, see, I have a few psychic powers. Not many. Like you noticed, I have some telepathy. A couple… a couple weeks ago, I think Mew sent me an image. I guess it was her. It might have been me, I suppose. It was a dream. In my dream… I wasn't myself. I was floating in a tank." Mewtwo fixed his eyes on me again. He either stared at me, or refused to look at me.

"Uh, maybe I should start from the beginning. A couple years ago, I met Mew. Team Rocket captured her."

"Team Rocket?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I went to rescue her because I found out that they wanted to use her DNA to clone her. To make a super-powered Mew. And with a lot of help from Ben and some Pokémon, we got her free. But then a couple weeks ago, I had the dream. A dream where I was in the body of the very creature that I'd heard about so long ago. And he was upset. The people that made him didn't care about him. And he got mad and…"

I trailed off. I realized with a jolt that a tear was sliding down my cheek. I brushed it away before Mewtwo could notice it. "That dream scared me so much. And I felt so bad for you. And Giovanni was behind it after all. He used a fossil since he couldn't use Mew herself."

"You tried to prevent my creation."

I looked up, startled. "Wait, that's not what I meant. Team Rocket, they just wanted to create a weapon. I didn't want them to make something, because their plan sounded so horrible. What they could do with that much power…"

"It worked, didn't it? They gave me the power to destroy the world. And I would have done it too."

"But see, after that dream, I went to look for you. I wanted to find you. From my dream, I knew that you weren't evil. You just needed someone… someone to… love." I almost whispered the last part of the phrase. Mewtwo was more like a human than any other Pokémon I'd met. I never treated Pokémon inferior, but I didn't need to treat them like humans either. While you don't go around just hugging people, I hug my Pokémon all the time. That kind of stuff, you know. But I doubt it would be well received if I tried to hug Mewtwo.

I shook my head to clear those random thoughts. "And then I got your invitation. After my dream, I was only one of a handful of people to reach your island."

"Are you trying to say something?"

"I don't know. I just thought I'd tell you what I knew."

He gave a small nod. "During most of my time, I was with Giovanni. He used me. Like you said, I was nothing more than a machine to him. When he told me that I was his slave, I destroyed his mansion and left to New Island."

"You were with Giovanni," I murmured. That guy was certainly capable of turning any Pokémon sour.

"And I'll tell you one more thing."

I nodded.

"It was short. Just a few moments. But I had a dream about you too."


	11. Food Fight

Food Fight

Mewtwo refused to say more about the dream, and I realized that it probably wouldn't be smart to push him.

"Why don't we go get breakfast then?" I suggested, changing the subject. I hoped he'd tell me when he was ready. "I bet everyone's really hungry."

Mewtwo gave a small nod. "Very well."

"Well, there's fruit. I grow berry trees on Avalon. I like plants a lot. I used to help Mom in the garden all the time, and my aunt is a landscaper. Here on Avalon, we have sort of an orchard. I got some the berries from a traveler, so they don't really grow in either Kanto or Johto. Some of them you won't want to eat plain, but a lot of them are really delicious. And…"

I stopped speaking as I felt my feet lift off of the ground. Mewtwo flew over to where the clones were sleeping, carrying me with him. The flight was over almost before I realized that it had begun.

Mewtwo set me lightly on the ground again, leaving me standing there like a statue. I loved flying. It was awesome. But there was still something strange about feeling yourself floating without any visible support. And you don't have any control over where you're floating either. Hopefully I'll get to the point where I'll be used to it, and I'll love it.

I tapped Ben on the shoulder and he sat up, stretching.

He smiled. "Hey. I don't suppose you're gonna tell me that I dreamed that thing about Mewtwo flying to our front door?"

I shook my head and nodded to where Mewtwo was standing.

Ben sighed and stood up. "I just hope you know what you're doing."

"Don't worry. I trust him."

I think Mewtwo might have heard, because he made as though to turn in our direction, but stopped.

Some of the other Pokémon were already beginning to wake up. The stomping footsteps of Rhyhorn and Nidoqueen were effective in waking up the rest of the Pokémon. A minute later, all of the clones, plus a few of my Pokémon, were either awake, or yawning and getting to their feet.

Gyarados, Lapras, Dewgong, Seadra, and Tentacruel remained in the lake where they were most comfortable. The rest of our large group began to follow Ben and I to the garden.

"The gardens are just on the other side of the house," I said, pointing. "Not far. A lot of the grass Pokémon like to go there and help take care of everything. And the water Pokémon help keep it watered."

"What is that?" Mewtwo asked, gesturing to a place off at the edge of the field.

I grinned. "Oh, that's a place that the Pokémon helped me build. Jed donated some supplies too. It took a really long time, but it was worth it. It's pretty much a big obstacle course. Or a playground."

"Playground?" He repeated.

I nodded. "Sometimes we use it to train. Lance taught me to do what ever I told my Pokémon to do."

"If you're physically capable of it," Ben added.

I nodded in agreement. "A trainer needs to train themselves-not rely on Pokémon to do everything. So, the obstacle course helps get us all in shape. But it's also really fun to play on!"

"Fun," he repeated.

"I don't suppose you've done too much of that, huh? Fun? We'll have to take you over there." I paused and looked at him. "Maybe it will get you to smile. A happy smile."

Mewtwo was silent.

"There's the garden," Ben announced.

As we passed the house, we came tin sight of the rows of trees. Smaller plants grew between them and around the edges of the orchard.

The Pokémon gathered around as I began to explain about the berries.

"This row has sweet berries. Those are my favorites. There's sour berries there, bitter, and so on. Over there are apricorns, which you can't eat. And next to those are the medicinal berries, which aren't too tasty. You can try what you want, as long as you don't eat them all, or break the plants or anything.

I went to a Mago tree. Ben, Mew, Mewtwo, Pikachu, Jolteon, and some others followed. "The more curved they are," I explained as I picked a very curly berry, "the sweeter they are."

We handed some of the fruit down to the smaller Pokémon, and then headed to a Bluk berry tree.

Ben rolled several Bluk berries into his mouth and grinned at me. The fruit had died his mouth black. I laughed at him.

"These berries are very squishy," Ben said, picking a Pecha berry. "But they're really sweet too.

I reached up to pick a Pecha berry for myself. When I turned back, a fat, squishy Pecha berry landed squarely in my face, dripping juice everywhere. I spluttered, wiping juice off of my face. When my eyes were cleared, I looked around to see Ben sprinting away from me as fast as his legs would carry him.

"You," I growled angrily. I snatched a fruit from the tree and took off after him, sprinting between the trees as fast as I could.

Ben was a lot faster than me, but he was currently laughing so hard that I was gaining on him. When I was sure I had a good shot, I lobbed the Pecha berry at him and it splatted across the back of his head, dripping down his neck.

Ben stumbled and I launched myself at him. We crashed to the ground in a tumbled heap.

"You big jerk!" I shouted, poking him in the side repeatedly so that he rolled around, gasping for breath and laughing. He finally pushed me away and poked my armpit. I squealed and fell to the side. For several minutes, we lay on our backs under the trees, laughing so hard that I made our sides ache and we could barely breathe. We didn't even care that Mewtwo and most of the clones were staring at us, dumbfounded. Several of my grass Pokémon were also watching on, amused.

When we finally got our breath back, Ben stood up and dragged me to my feet. My face was sticky with berry juice, and Ben's hair was drenched with it.

Mew whispered something into the ear of the clone Squirtle. A moment later, Squirtle had used Water Gun and drenched both of us thoroughly.

For a moment, we stood there, spluttering. Then we started laughing again. This time, most of the Pokémon joined in too. Mewtwo gave a half smile and shook his head.

Did you know that once you _really _get started laughing, it's _really_ hard to stop? Especially if a lot of your friends are joined in. It must have been five minutes longer before all of us were able to stop laughing. But we remained grinning broadly.

Ben gave me a gentle shove. "Let's get to the 'playground' before something else happens."

"Happens! You're the one who started it!" I took a swipe at him, but he sprinted off in the direction of the training grounds. I took off after him.

It took most of the rest of the Pokémon a while to catch up with us. Ben was struggling to climb up a net woven of ropes to escape my wrath.

Wigglytuff tried to climb up the slide the wrong way. Golduck attempted to slide down one of the poles, and thudded into the sand. Pidgeot perched on the monkey bars.

Finally abandoning my chase of Ben, I showed the clones around, demonstrating on some of the equipment: a rope swing, a slide, the rope net, swings, and so on. Some of the things, like swings, had very little purpose for training, unless you used your imagination.

Then I noticed that Mewtwo was still standing to the side of the training ground, watching us. He hadn't joined in at all.

"Are you gonna come up?" I shouted from the top of the structure where I was standing next to the slide.

He looked up at me but didn't reply.

I hesitated, then used the slide to reach the ground. I walked over to him, and he turned away from me.

"I'm sorry," he said softly. "It really is beautiful here. Your gardens and the field and lakes, and the mountain. Even this place – your playground. My clones are having a good time. I created them and sent them straight into battle. But now they can enjoy themselves. The normal Pokémon that live on this island are happy to play with my clones. Even though my clones were born different. And my storm would have destroyed all of this."

"Yeah. But it doesn't matter where you came from. What matters are the choices you make. You chose to stop your storm before you did any damage. Not that it was your fault that you acted like that. It seems… in the dream, those scientists broke your heart. They made it fragile. And then Giovanni broke what was left of it. I think it's starting to heal though, even if it's still frail." I hesitated. "You're welcome to stay here. I want to help you. I want you and your clones to be happy. I don't know, maybe it's because of the dream, but I feel like I'm supposed to take care of you."

He gave a small smile. "Take care of me, huh? Yesterday I would have scoffed at the idea of a human taking care of me."

"That's not what I mean. I mean, making sure you're all safe and happy."

"Maybe. We'll stay for a while, at least. To rest. I _do_ think my clones like it here. Maybe they will stay."

It sounded like he wasn't planning on staying. I felt my heart sink. Did he want to leave again? Where would he go?

"So… do you want to come play?" I suggested.

Mewtwo shook his head. "I'll just watch for now."

_You need to learn to play! _Mew exclaimed, floating over to us.

"I know you like to play," Mewtwo sighed. "I just don't feel up to it right now. I'm… tired."

_That's cause you didn't sleep last night. _

"What about you, Mew?" I asked. "Where are you heading next?"

She paused to think. _Maybe I'll stay a little longer. To keep an eye on that guy and keep him out of trouble. _She giggled._ But I have to leave soon. Being a legendary Pokémon, I have stuff to do. _

"Really? Like what?"

She winked at me. _That's classified. Besides, that thing I want to talk to you about, I don't think it's time yet. _

"Hey, about that, you keep dropping these random hints. Like there's something I'm supposed to know. You say that I've helped you some time before Team Rocket caught you? But I really didn't. You were the one who helped us!"

She laughed. _Like I said, it's not time to talk about that yet! You find me when it is. _

She darted off to make big pink bubbles for the other Pokémon to play with. I grumbled darkly. "I wish she'd just tell me what she was talking about!"

"Can you tell me more about the time you helped Mew?" Mewtwo asked. "You said you saved her from Team Rocket. I feel like I ought to know, since that was an attempt to… create me."

"Oh, right. Sure, I'll tell you. Come on. Let's go sit down."

We sat at the base of the equipment where all of the others were playing. I told Mewtwo about the Mew incident and how Zapdos, Articuno, and Moltres had come to help us. Without them, we would have lost. And then Giovanni had escaped, and I'd worried for a very long time that he would try to find me to get his revenge. But I hadn't seen him since. And then I'd had the dream and discovered that Giovanni had created Mewtwo anyway.

When I'd finished, Mewtwo told me about what had happened since he burned the lab down. Giovanni took him in, giving him a suit to focus his psychic powers. Giovanni used him to catch Pokémon and defeat trainers in battle. Mewtwo thought that Giovanni and he were partners, but then Giovanni told him that he was meant to serve humans. Once again, humans had proved that they were incapable of feeling for others. And that's what he'd come to believe.

"He thinks of Pokémon as tools," I agreed. "Some people are like that."

"You're not."

He stood up and walked away.


	12. The Dark Cloak

Someone mentioned Ben in one of the comments. How he was a main character in the first part, but doesn't have too much of a role in this one.

That's true.

TT-TT

Aww, Ben! We'll get you more of a role at some point.

Right now, he takes care of Avalon as Cara's off doing weird stuff. He stays on Avalon most of the time, working on that vague, general of electronic stuff. I really got to ask my engineering friends more about the details of that stuff… My friend was talking to me about programming and I just went

O-O "That sounds really hard." You need to type in all this stuff, and if you miss one symbol, then it doesn't work.

So, Ben's always there in the background, keeping stuff running. And He's always there when Cara needs him. Ashe said, he's better with electronics than Pokémon battles, and it's hard to work on computers when he's traveling.

Charren-Charizard, Patch-Clone Charizard, Polaris-Ponyta, Nova-Rapidash, Leviathan-Gyarados, Pooka-Pikachu, Skeppy-Scyther

The Dark Cloak

It was later in the day, after everyone was happy, rested, and full, that I brought up the idea of a battle between Charren and the clone Charizard, who'd named himself Patch because of his markings.

Charren really _was_ eager to take part in the battle that she didn't get to do on New Island.

And so Mewtwo and I found ourselves facing each other at my stadium with our two Charizard. Mew conjured a pink bubble and sat on it to watch the battle. A few of the clones gathered to watch also.

_This battle is yours, Charren, _I told her. _I won't tell you anything unless I have to. _

She nodded, the excitement of battle gleaming in her eyes. _This should be an exciting battle. _

_Yep. _

The two suddenly launched themselves at each other, clashing in the middle of the field, locking claws and snapping at each other. Patch shifted and then knocked Charren to the side. The two of them shot up into the air and spiraled around each other so quickly that I couldn't tell which was which anymore.

I squinted, shading my eyes against the sun.

The two sent out fire blasts that were lost in the glare of the sun.

They darted out and back in, slashing with their claws and lashing out with their tails.

Charren suddenly pulled into a steep dive with Patch right on her heels. The two of them hurtled towards the ground as though they were in a freefall. Patch was gaining on her.

Charren pulled out of the dive, kicking up a dust cloud. But Patch was suddenly in front of her, and he slammed his head into hers. Charren gave a little groan and crashed to the ground.

"We lost," I said, though I couldn't help smiling. "You OK, Charren?"

She staggered to her feet and gave a weak smile.

"Char," she said, giving a dizzy nod of her head.

Patch landed nearby, puffing himself up impressively.

"I didn't think we would win," I said, walking into the stadium.

Mewtwo cocked his head. "Then why did you fight?"

I shrugged. "Well, in this case, we wanted to challenge ourselves. But sometimes you fight, even knowing that you can't win. There… there are some situations where you _have _to continue fighting, even if it seems hopeless. Heh. Like when I fought Team Rocket. To save you, Mew. I was sure there was no way we were gonna win. But we didn't give up. And we stalled for long enough that help was able to arrive.

Mewtwo gave a small nod of understanding.

Mew left her bubble and came over to float in front of me.

_Good battle! _

"Thanks."

_I haven't seen you in a long time, _she continued, _but you're a lot stronger now. Team Rocket better watch out if they mess with you again. _

I grinned. "Yep! They better!"

_The reason I never came to see you since then, I was afraid Team Rocket would come after you again if they thought we were still connected. I didn't want to put you in danger again. _

I stared at her.

_But I'm not worried about you anymore. I promise I'll come to visit you some more. _

"Are you leaving?"

_Yes. It's time for me to go. _

I sighed. "All right. I'll miss you. Take care of yourself too. And visit soon! You know where to find me!"

She looked over at Mewtwo and gave him a nod. He nodded back.

_Bye! _Mew called. And she flew away out of sight.

We watched the spot where she'd vanished for a while.

"So," I said at last. "Why don't we fly around Avalon? You could carry all of us, Mewtwo. I could introduce your clones to my Pokémon, and see, uh, see if they like it here and can make some new friends."

Mewtwo looked back up at the mountain. He thought for several minutes, then nodded. "Yes. I think that's a good idea."

…

That night I climbed into my bed, feeling very tired, but happy.

We'd found (at least temporary) homes for the clones.

My Gyarados, Leviathan, had welcomed the new one in the big lake. The Rapidash had joined the herd that Nova and Polaris were part of. My Scyther, Skeppy, showed the clone around the forests. The Eevee clones joined my "pack" of Eevee evolutions. Pooka introduced the clone Pikachu to the other electric mice.

They all looked so happy.

Mewtwo was sleeping on the balcony next to my bedroom.

I hoped that he was happy too.

…

I groaned and sat up. I just couldn't get back to sleep. I squinted at the clock. It was past 2:00 AM.

Not fun. No decent person wakes up that early in the morning. But I didn't think I'd get back to sleep right away.

I slipped out of bed. My Chikorita, Tropica, who was snoozing on the pillow next to me, gave a little moan in her sleep and shifted slightly. But she didn't wake.

I walked over to the doorway that led to the 2nd story balcony and looked out over the field awash in moonlight.

Finally I opened the door and stepped out into the night air. The moon was up behind me. It was so bright that it was casting a shadow on the grass in front of the house.

I sighed and watched the sleeping Pokémon out in the field. Tauros, Ponyta, Rapidash, and Stantler were scattered about, heads bowed, sunk in dreams.

It took me a minute to realize that Mewtwo had been sleeping on the balcony, but he wasn't there anymore.

The shadows shifted. I blinked as I tried to find the source of the movement. But all figures were still.

Then I realized that it was the shadow of the house that had moved. But houses don't move…

I turned around and looked up at the roof. Someone was up there, making the shadow.

I shrugged and hoisted myself up the latticework that held the dark green vines that clung to the side of the house. I easily climbed upwards and swung myself onto the roof.

Mewtwo was there. He was gazing off in the direction of land. He made no sign of seeing me approach.

I hesitated, then stepped towards him. When I was right beside him, he sighed and looked down at me.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Mm." He turned and gazed off in the distance again for a few more moments. "The clones are so happy here. You've given them a home, and I hope you'll let them stay here where it's safe. And Avalon really is beautiful."

"But?" The way he said it made me think that he felt something was missing.

"But… I haven't seen much. There's so much world out there. I want…"

"You want to explore on your own?"

He sighed. "I was confined for the first part of my life. And after that, I was planning New Island. So I've never really seen anything. I was never really free to explore on my own."

I could understand what he meant, but I still felt my heart sink. Mewtwo leave? I didn't want him to leave! I wanted him to stay here safe on Avalon. Where no one could hurt him again… But if I confined him, that would put me on a level near Giovanni's. True, Mewtwo had the run of Avalon, but it was really no more than a big cage if Mewtwo was not free to come and go as he pleased. He was different from the other Pokémon. More human than any of them, for better or worse.

"I understand," I said. I don't think I sounded too convincing though.

Mewtwo turned to me. "You'd prefer that I stay here?"

I gulped, then slowly nodded. "I'd feel safe knowing that you were here. Where…"

"Where I wouldn't cause any damage?"

"No! That's not what I meant at all! I meant… I don't want you in any danger out there. There are people… people that might want to catch you again."

"Hmph. I would never allow that to happen to me again."

"Not willingly, I'm sure."

"What do you mean? You think there's anyone strong enough to take me by force?"

"I hope not."

"Then what are you worried about?"

"I just… don't want you getting hurt." I dropped my head, realizing that this might sound very childish. I mean, he was designed to be the most powerful Pokémon on the planet. What should he have to worry about?"

Mewtwo smiled slightly. "I promise I'll come back safe. I'll come back soon too. I like you, Cara. You're my closest human friend. And I don't want to leave you for good. I will come back. I promise."

He thought of me as his friend! That made me happy, even though he was leaving. I realized with a start that my eyes were beginning to water. I quickly brushed the tears away and turned to smile at Mewtwo. "Yeah. When do you plan to leave?"

"Soon."

"Tonight?"

"Yes."

"I see."

We were silent for several moments.

"You know," I said slowly, "I said before that when your heart was broken… it became frail. But… I don't think it is a frail heart anymore. You have a very strong heart. Even after what you've been through, you still care. Don't be afraid to make friends and help people. I think you'll be fine."

He gave a small smile, and we lapsed into silence again.

"Oh!" I exclaimed. "I have an idea!"

Mewtwo turned, surprised by my sudden cry. "What?"

"Hang on! Let me get something for you!"

I went to the edge of the roof and started to climb down.

I gave a slight start as I felt myself lift off the side of the house. Mewtwo was floating me down to the balcony. He landed lightly next to me.

"Wait here. I'll be right back."

I dashed inside. Luckily my bare feet didn't make too much noise. I didn't want to wake Ben.

I tiptoed downstairs to the big closet where Jed had stored the clothes from a past costume party.

I quickly scanned one of the racks of costumes until I found what I was looking for.

I snatched the two items from the hanger and rushed back upstairs to the balcony where Mewtwo was waiting.

"Found it!" I said triumphantly. I held out the two items. Mewtwo blinked at them, not sure what to do.

"Here, turn around." Mewtwo hesitated, then did as I asked.

I gave the first item a shake to unfold it. Then I draped it over Mewtwo's shoulders and hooked the clasp on the front. I then took up the other item and set it on top of his head. Mewtwo turned and stared down at himself.

"Oh, you look so cool!"

I had dressed him in a long, dark gray cape that hid his tail and body. And I'd given him a wide-brimmed hat of the same color to hide his face.

"What's this for?" he asked blankly.

"A disguise! I bet that no one's ever seen anything like you before. And if they have, odds are they won't be your friends. So, now you'll be hidden."

Mewtwo gave an experimental swish of his cloak and touched the brim of his hat. He gave a small smile.

"Thanks. I think it's a good idea."

"You take care, you hear?"

"Yes."

"Come back safe!"

"I promise."

Mewtwo gave me a final nod and then drifted up into the air. For a moment he hovered there, his cloak billowing about him, and then he shot off into the night sky.

I stared after him for a very long time.

Heaving a deep sigh, I finally turned and went back into my room. I slowly sat back down on my bed.

Mewtwo was gone. It was hard to believe. I hadn't even known him that long. But I'd started to feel… safe around him. Like he was a protector. Now that he was gone… I felt lost and vulnerable.

I fell back on the covers and gathered Tropica up in my arms. She snuggled up against me, barely even waking up as I hugged her tight.

Just come back safe. Please, come back safe.


	13. Mary

OK, so unfortunately my school starts early. In just a couple weeks. So, I'm probably going to start now (I was gone for a week, so my updating pattern was messed up anyway) . Since I'm in the middle of 2 fanfics, I'm going to update only one fanfic every week . That means that this story will only get a new chapter every other week. Just so ya know!

Anyway, Mewtwo's gone. So now Cara needs to find something to do to take her mind off of it. Luckily distractions are easily come by in her life.

Mary

"You mean he's gone?" Ben said the next morning.

I nodded and leaned back in my chair, letting my head flop back so that I stared at the ceiling. Karren, my Butterfree, was fluttering around in the kitchen, trying to steal a piece of fruit from the table.

"But why'd you let him go?"

I slowly sat up and stared at Ben. He turned away and sighed. "Yeah, OK. I guess you're right. You couldn't keep him here."

"Besides, I want him to be happy. He couldn't be happy if he wasn't free to do what he wanted."

"Yeah. I guess you're right."

Ben took a bite of toast and I took a bite of cereal. We remained silent.

Finally I went over and dumped my bowl in the sink.

"I'm going back to Johto."

"What? Now?" Ben asked, startled.

"Yeah. I'll teleport to Sabrina's gym and catch the train to Goldenrod."

Ben blinked at me. "OK. If you say so. Take care. Have fun too. I'll be here, as always. Watching out for everything."

I nodded and left the kitchen. Ben had gotten used to me coming and going randomly. Sometimes I felt bad for abandoning him, but I didn't think about that this time. My mind was elsewhere.

Without really paying much attention, I started to gather a team of Pokémon. After I had 5 of them, I paused and walked outside again. I wanted to bring one of my new friends with me.

I stepped outside and glanced around. I hoped that he was still around. I wanted to bring him. The Pokémon I'd helped at New Island. The clone Pikachu named Pisky.

He was nearby. He was playing in the pond with the clone Squirtle and Bulbasaur.

"Pisky," I called. He sat up and perked his ears.

"I wondered if you wanted to come with me," I suggested. "I'm going to Johto, and I thought maybe you'd want to come and explore some."

Pisky thought for a minute, then nodded.

"I'd have to keep you in a Pokéball some of the time, but you could come out as much as you wanted. I have a Pokéball here, if you wanted to come."

Again, he thought, and then he nodded. I smiled. "That's good. I'd hoped that you'd come."

I held out the Pokéball and pressed the button. Pisky vanished inside.

I went back inside and headed to a special little corner in the house. Sabrina had given me a warp panel so I could teleport to the mainland any time. It made it much easier to travel between Kanto and Avalon. And conveniently, Sabrina's gym was right near the train to Johto.

I hooked my Pokéballs on my belt and stepped onto the warp panel.

A moment later, I was standing in the Saffron Gym.

There was no one around, so I opened Pisky's Pokéball and the two of us left the gym.

As we walked through the city, Pisky glanced around in awe. He'd never been to a place like this.

We went directly to the train station and sat down to wait for the next ride to Goldenrod. I read a book until as we waited. Pisky wandered around, studying the train station and edging nervously around the legs of the passing people. Finally the train whistle sounded. I boarded among a bustling crowd of other passengers. Pisky clung to my shoulder.

_Trains are nice, _I decided as I took a window seat. I leaned back and watched as the scenery outside began to shift, and then zoom past as the train sped on its way. It's easy to relax on trains.

Pisky remained glued to the window.

_We're going so fast! _He exclaimed.

_Yep. We'll be in Johto in no time. Are you having fun? _

Pisky thought for a minute. _This is very interesting, but there's so many people! _

_Yes, that's true. Cities are like that. You can go back in the Pokéball if you want. _

_No. This is good. _

It was then that I noticed the face peeking over the chair in front of me.

I looked up to find myself staring at a Pokémon. A Bellossom.

"Bell?" said Bellossom. She turned to whoever was sitting next to her and said, "Bella! Bell, Belossom! Blossom!"

I stared at the Bellossom. It vanished behind the chair.

Then the person next to Bellossom peered over the chair.

It was a girl. She was about 10 and she had a brown ponytail. Her Bellossom appeared once again, peeking over the chair with her trainer. Pisky watched the pair with his head cocked.

The girl and I stared at each other. Then, slowly, her face brightened.

"You! I know you!"

"Oh?" I said stupidly.

"Yes! You're Cara!"

"Yeah." I don't know about you, but it kinda freaks me out when someone knows my name and I have no idea who they are.

"I remember you. But it was a long time ago. You helped me catch Bella! Back when she was an Oddish."

As this sunk in, I felt my jaw drop. "Oh! I remember you! I do!"

"My name's Mary."

"That's right! Mary! I remember we helped you catch Oddish!"

She nodded. "You lent me your Ivysaur!"

"And she evolved into a Bellossom! That's great! Are you on your Pokémon journey, Mary?"

"Yeah. I've caught more Pokémon since then."

"Great! I'd love to see them when the train stops. What are you going to Johto for?"

"Haven't you heard? They're doing some new contest thing in Goldenrod. It's two days long. The first part is a sort of beauty contest and the second day is for battles. There's two sections-one for single trainers and one for teams of two trainers."

"That does sound really cool. I've never done anything like a beauty contest with my Pokémon before. Do you dress them up or something?"

"No. You get them to do pretty combinations of moves."

"Wow. Even better. That sounds neat. I should enter."

"Do… do you want to enter as a pair?"

She said it very softly so I had to ask her to repeat herself.

"Oh, it's fine if you don't want to. I mean… I'm probably not at your level. But… maybe if you wanted to try, we could enter as a pair."

"Oh. Sure, why not. I've never done this kind of thing so you can show me what to do."

She nodded. "OK. And you can give me some pointers about battling. Because I'm not as good at battling as I am with getting my Pokémon to do pretty move combinations."

"Sounds like a fair trade. When is this competition?"

"Tomorrow."

"OK. So we should spend today getting to know each other's style. Double battles aren't much good if you don't know what your partner's up to. Working as a team is the whole point.

Mary nodded, beaming. "That's great! Thank you!"


	14. Janni and Himilay

Ooh, this is a really long chapter. Now I feel like things are getting exciting again. I hope you do too!

(Just FYI, in chapters before this, Nova was a Ponyta. He's a Rapidash now. I changed it).

Pogo-Quilava, Polaris-Ponyta, Nova-Rapidash, Pisky-clone Pikachu

Janni and Himilay

"So, Mary, what's your team like?" I asked as we disembarked the train.

"Well, there's Bella. And I have a Cubone, Doduo, Furret, Chinchou, and Xatu. A lot of them aren't evolved though…"

"That doesn't matter. They don't need to be fully evolved to be tough." I was thinking of Polaris. "Come on. Let's head north and take a look at each other's team."

Mary nodded and hurried to catch up with me. Bella and Pisky trotted along at our feet. We passed through the gates and headed up a little further.

"I guess this works," I said, stopping to the side of the road. "Ready?"

Mary nodded. We each released our Pokémon.

Along with Pisky, I had Tydel-recently evolved into a Feraligatr, and Tropica, a Chikorita, Pogo, my Quilava, Nova, my Rapidash (Polaris's boyfriend), and Pexle, my Ninetales. I always seem to end up with a lot of Fire Pokémon. I don't know it it's my favorite element, but there are a lot of fire Pokémon that I love!

I walked around Mary's Pokémon, sizing them up. They were all in good shape and were well-groomed and cared for, though none of them looked like they'd seen heavy battle.

Mary was looking at my team. She seemed a bit wary of the large and tough looking Feraligatr, but really seemed to like my Chikorita, Ninetales, and Rapidash.

"Is this your Ponyta you had before? Did it evolve?" Mary asked.

"No, actually. This is her boyfriend."

"Aww, that's sweet!" Mary said, stroking Nova's neck. "Where's your Ponyta?"

"She's at home taking a rest. We've… been through a lot recently."

"Oh. Like what?"

I turned away. "That would be really hard to explain."

"Oh."

"So, should we get training?" I asked.

Mary nodded.

"Why don't you start?" I suggested. "I mean, show me some pretty moves that your Pokémon know.

Mary nodded, an excited expression coming to her face.

"OK. Chinchou! Use Bubble!"

Chinchou released a stream of gleaming bubbles that glinted in the sunlight.

"Good! Now jump and use Thunder Wave!"

Chinchou used Furret's back as a springboard and hopped up into the air, using Thunder Wave. The sparks illuminated the bubbles, making them flicker as though little candles were inside each of them.

"Good! Now use Water Gun!"

Chinchou released a quick succession of water blasts and popped all of the bubbles.

"Thunder Wave again!"

Chinchou sent out the attack and as the droplets of water cascaded down, Thunder Wave struck them and made them flicker with static electricity.

"OK! Bella, use Petal Dance now!"

Bellossom danced in a circle and released a shower of flower petals.

"Now, Doduo, use Fury Attack!"

Doduo dashed forwards. It struck out with its two beaks and poked holes in the dead center of each petal before they touched the ground.

I was fascinated. "That was amazing! I never knew that you could use attacks to do stuff like this!"

Mary grinned and patted her Chinchou. "Thanks. We've been working hard. Chinchou and Bella have some good special attacks that are really pretty on their own. Xatu can do them too. Cubone, Doduo and Furret don't have as many special attacks, but they can still do really pretty stuff if you go about it right. And it's even better when they're paired up with a Pokémon with lots of good special attacks. What about your Pokémon?"

Pisky turned away with a small huff.

"I think he prefers battles more than pretty things," I said to Mary. "Don't worry, Pisky. I won't make you do that if you don't want to."

Pisky cocked his head at me with a small "Pi?"

I smiled. "OK. Should we try battling now?"

Immediately Pisky jumped forwards, looking determined.

I laughed. "OK. You can help us with battles. Pogo, you come help too!"

Pogo stepped forwards.

"OK, you two. Let's have a practice battle. Pisky, please don't go all out. This is just a demonstration."

Pisky bared his teeth a little. I was slightly worried. I knew that Pogo wouldn't be able to stand up to Pisky's beefed-up special attacks. I also knew that I wouldn't be able to use the clone in the real competition. It wouldn't be fair to use a Pokémon like Pisky…. Almost like cheating.

"I'm not gonna give you two any instructions. Just act on your own."

Pisky jumped forwards at Pogo.

Pogo turned and kicked out with his hind feet. Pisky turned and kicked at Pogo's feet, springing off of him. As Pisky was still in the air, he let loose a spectacular Thunderbolt.

Pogo growled and stepped backwards. He let out Ember, which Pisky dodged easily. Pogo charged in, letting the flames around his neck blaze up. When he opened his mouth to strike, Pisky simply leapt straight up into the air and Pogo ran right past. Pisky let loose another Thunderbolt, making Pogo cry out and collapse on his belly.

"OK, that's enough you two," I said, slightly alarmed. Pisky really was a fighting machine… Along with all of the other Super Clones.

Pisky looked as though he had to force himself to stop fighting. Pogo slowly got back to his feet, huffing.

Mary looked rather stunned.

"That looks tough," she whispered.

"Yeah, well…" I don't think battles were her type. She was too, well, nice to want Pokémon to fight. But she was good at making those pretty moves. So, if we teamed up, we might do decently in tomorrow's contest.

"Hey! Hey you with the Pikachu!"

Mary and I turned. There were two people walking towards us: A boy and a girl. The girl looked about 17. She had long blonde hair and wore a short pink short and mini-jeans. Honestly, not my style of clothes. But she was pretty.

The boy was maybe a year older than her with dark hair that was long enough to fall partly over his face. He was dressed simply in a T-shirt and jeans with a jacket draped over his arm (since it too warm to wear it).

The girl bounced up to me. She reminded me a bit of Amber, actually. With her enthusiasm, at least. The boy hung back a bit, not saying anything.

"Are you two Pokémon trainers? I saw your Pokémon battling with each other."

"Oh, yeah, we are."

"Do you want to have a battle? We want to practice before tomorrow's competition."

"You're doing the competition too?" I asked. "We're entering as a pair." I gestured to Mary.

The girl nodded. "Yeah . We're entering as a pair too. My name's Janni. And this is Himilay." She gestured to the boy. He gave the smallest of nods in our direction.

"Himilay? You mean like the Himalayan mountains?" Mary asked timidly.

Himilay stared blankly at her. "What? It's just my name."

"Don't mind him," Janni said, fluttering her hand. "He's anti-social."

"Hmph," muttered Himilay.

"So, would you like to battle?" Janni repeated. "We can do a two-on-two battle to practice for tomorrow!"

"That sounds good to me. Do you want to try, Mary?"

"Oh, OK." Actually, she didn't look like she wanted to try, but she needed the practice.

"Can I make a request?" I asked. "Mary's sort of a beginner at battles, so can you go harder on my Pokémon? I hope you don't mind, Mary."

She shook her head. "No, I don't know much about battling…"

"Sure," said Janni. "But that doesn't mean we'll go easy on _you_," she said, pointing at me and giving a small laugh.

"That's OK. I don't want you to go easy on me. Go, Pisky!"

Mary sent out her Cubone. Pikachu and Cubone waited for Janni and Himilay to release their Pokémon. Janni sent out Hitmontop and Himilay sent out Piloswine.

Pisky jumped ahead of Cubone, sparking with anticipation. Hitmontop came whirling forwards and Pisky ducked out of the way, using his tail to knock Hitmontop's wild spinning off balance.

Piloswine came charging in and knocked Pikachu out of the way.

_They're gonna try to keep you engaged against Piloswine since electric attacks don't do much against ground types. But try to do as much damage to Hitmontop as possible. _

_You think you have to tell me that? _

I smiled and shook my head. _No. I just like to keep a connection with you guys when you're battling. _

_Well, you do me a favor and watch my back. I'll take out _both_ of them. _

_You're a lot more powerful than them, Don't hurt them. This is just a friendly match, right? _

_But of course. _He smirked, sparking at the cheeks.

Cubone stepped hesitatingly in, raising his bone defensively. But Hitmontop whirled up to him, making Cubone back off, unsure what to do.

"Don't forget to give your Pokémon instructions, Mary," I called to her.

"But you aren't," Mary said, sounding perplexed.

"I've practiced battling without saying orders, but you need to give them."

"Oh, OK. Cubone, use Bonemerang!"

Cubone hurled his bone at the twirling Hitmontop, but missed and Hitmontop swirled over and landed on its feet.

Pisky used Quick Attack against the boulder-like Piloswine and bounced off of his opponent's hard skull. Piloswine hadn't even been fazed. As Pisky shook his head dizzily, Hitmontop grabbed him and jumped back onto his "top" and began spinning again, bringing Pisky with him. As Hitmontop whirled around, Pisky began to get dizzy. He bit down on one of the arms holding him, and when that didn't work, he unleashed an impressive Thunderbolt. Thanks to Pikashu's super-strong special attacks, the Thunderbolt made Hitmontop collapse mid-spin. Pisky went flying, and landed heavily. He staggered a bit, trying to regain his balance.

Piloswine took advantage of Pisky's dizziness and charged forwards. Pisky saw him coming and unleashed another Thunderbolt. It didn't have any effect on the ground-type.

But Cubone ran forwards and brought his club smashing down on Piloswine's head. Piloswine groaned and Pisky quickly used Swift and Slam.

Hitmontop bounded over his partner's head and struck Cubone, sending him flying.

Pisky aimed Thundershock at the twirling Hitmontop, but our opponent's rapid spinning deflected the attack.

Pisky charged head-long in and rammed Hitmontop, blasting him with electricity.

Pisky then turned to Piloswine again, who stampeded at his opponent. Pisky unleashed a Thunder that lit up the sky like fireworks. The attack struck Piloswine's long tusks, and the tusks acted like lightning rods. The attack was so powerful that one of his tusks shattered, sending pieces flying in all directions. Piloswine skidded to a halt and keeled over.

Janni and Himilay stared at Pikachu's attack in disbelief.

I clapped a hand over my mouth. Pisky had made Piloswine's tusk _explode. _He himself looked astonished at what his own electricity had done.

I should never have unleashed this Pikachu in a battle against two ordinary trainers.

I rushed forwards towards the fallen Piloswine. Static rippled across his fur and he gave a small groan. I touched the broken tusk and then reached down and picked up one of the shattered pieces.

_Oh, I didn't think I'd do _that_… _Pisky said dazedly.

_Yeah. I know. Remember, you're designed to have stronger attacks than most Pokémon can deal with. We'll need to work on holding them back when you're fighting ordinary opponents. _

"Shoot, I'm really sorry," I said to Himilay. "I didn't mean…"

Himilay stared down at his fallen Pokémon, looking highly perplexed, and also concerned for his Piloswine.

"Nurse Joy can fix that at a Pokémon Center," said Janni. I looked up at her. She had a very odd expression. No doubt shocked by Pisky's power.

"Yeah. We'll collect all the pieces." I picked up a few more tooth fragments and Pisky handed one of them to me. When I was sure I had them all, I placed my hand on Piloswine's forehead and closed my eyes.

_Hey, are you all right? _

There was a pause, and then a groggy response. _Whoa. You really laid it on me there. _

_Yeah, I'm sorry, _Pisky responded, scratching his head.

Piloswine staggered to his feet and glanced around. He saw the broken tusk pieces in my hand.

_Ah, that's mine, isn't it? _

_Yeah it is. But we'll get it fixed. I'm sorry again. _I scratched his head.

_Ah, no worries. Honestly, looks like I've found a pretty impressive opponent._

Cubone staggered to his feet. Janni returned her Hitmontop. Himilay, looking relieved that his Piloswine was OK, returned his Pokémon as well.

"That was amazing. My Hitmontop is really tough, and so is Piloswine. But your Pikachu…"

"He's special," I agreed. "Good job, Mary."

She blinked and looked up at me.

"But I really didn't do much."

"You did. You distracted Piloswine enough for Pisky to knock him out. Pisky would have had a hard time of it by himself."

_I would not! _

I ignored the comment.

"Are your other Pokémon this tough?" Janni asked.

"They're good," I admitted. "But I think my Pikachu has the best special attacks out of them."

Pisky nodded.

"Do you want to train together?" Janni asked. "We could help each other prepare for tomorrow."

"I don't mind," I agreed.

"Me either," Mary said.

Himilay shrugged. "Whatever."

"I hope we don't have to fight you in the big match!" Janni said, winking.

…

Janni dragged the rest of us off to dinner after we dropped Piloswine off at the Pokémon Center. She and Himilay went off to a hotel when Mary and I headed to the Pokémon Center to sleep.

I'd been shocked by Pisky's attack, but no lasting harm had been done. No hard feelings. But I smiled as I lay in bed with Pogo next to me. It had been great to run into an old friend. Not only that, but I'd met two more potential friends. Friends really are great. What would we do without them?

My mind flashed back to Mewtwo. I sighed. How was he doing? Where was he now?

"I hope you're OK," I whispered. "Come back safe."

…

The next day was the first day of the competition: the beauty contest.

I fidgeted nervously in the stands next to Mary. She looked excited. But I had no experience in the area of making _pretty_ attacks.

I watched the competition, trying to get as many ideas as I could. Some of these people were very skilled at this. Why had I never heard of it before?

The single trainers went first. The most fantastic performance was a beautiful Ninetales that flowed through a fiery dance. The way her tails flowed made her seem as though she herself was made of fire.

Then the team performances began. Each pair would go onto the stage and their two Pokémon would act together to create a beautiful duet. I could immediately tell that the group performances were more difficult than the singles. Some of the Pokémon had a hard time coordinating themselves, and their attacks didn't always flow.

I sat up very straight as I saw Janni and Himilay walk onto stage. Janni sent out Dewong and Himilay sent out Ariados.

Dewgong raised his head and sent out a flowing torrent of water. He used Ice Beam to freeze the spiral of water in place. Ariados darted up along the ice forms, setting threads between them and weaving a pattern. Dewgong shot water up in the air again, and Ariados rode the fountain towards the ceiling before drifting back down to the ground on a silken thread. The water drops from Dewgong's attack settled on the thread, and then Ariados used Signal Beam, causing each tiny droplet to sparkle and send out rainbows.

The crowd erupted into a roar of applause. It was the best performance yet.

Mary and I were up next. We left the stands feeling very intimidated by Janni and Himilay's show. How could anyone compete with that?

We stepped on stage. It was an entirely different performance than I'd ever done in my life.

"Remember," Mary whispered to me, "I'll lead, and you can follow with what you think will work best."

I nodded, biting back a smile. It was so strange to have a girl several years younger than me say that she'd lead and I'd have to keep up somehow. But on this subject, she was definitely an expert compared to me.

Mary released her Xatu. I sent out Nova.

Xatu started with Night Shade, filling the stage with pulsing dark light. She teleported around the stage, using her wings to fan at the Night Shade and make it ripple.

I shook my head. I couldn't sit here watching her. I'd already hesitated too long. I had to do my part!

_Go, Nova! _

He bounded into the air, sending little sparks from his mouth. Flames spread from his mane, tail, and fetlocks. The little sparks danced through the air, making the Night Shade flicker with an eerie light.

Xatu raised his wings, gave a low call, and began to glow.

That was Nova's cue. He reared up on his hind legs and let out a Fire Spin. Nova bounded inside of it, galloping the length of the stadium inside his Fire Spin. The flaming tornado began to spiral towards the audience, making everyone gasp and pull back in fright. But just then, the Future Sight that Xatu had unleashed moments before appeared and the Fire Spin flickered out as it hit the psychic attack.

Mary and I fidgeted nervously as the crowd recovered from its shock. Then the audience burst out into applause.

I let out a breath of relief, returned our Pokémon, and left the stage.

Once we were out of sight of the audience, Mary raised her hands to her mouth and gave a stifled squeal.

"That worked really well!" she gasped. "I was afraid we hadn't timed the Future Sight well enough to stop the Fire Spin. But it worked perfectly!"

I nodded, grinning. "That was pretty awesome! Considering we've only had a day to practice together…"

Mary nodded, beaming. "Yeah! It was great! Great, great, great!"

It was evening at this time, and the last performance was taking place. The normal battles would be held tomorrow.

Since there was only one performance left, Mary and I headed directly to the lobby where the scores for the visual competition would soon be announced.

Mary and I were the first ones there. But just a minute later, Janni came bounding into the room, with Himilay shuffling in behind her, hands in his pockets.

"Great job, you two!" Janni exclaimed.

"Yours was really good too," Mary said a bit shyly.

Janni laughed and waved her hand to dismiss the compliment. "We're better at battles, actually. But it's fun to practice other stuff besides. Cara, I had a question for you. I know the scores are about to be announced, but can you step outside with me for a moment?"

"Oh, sure," I said, wondering what this was about. Janni walked out of the room. I followed and Himilay trailed behind. Mary watched us go, looking curious.

Janni didn't stop when we were out of the building. She turned a corner into a quiet side street. Himilay and I followed. By now I was very curious. I hoped this wouldn't take too long. I wanted to see the scores.

Himilay paused just at the corner of the street, hesitating. He looked very unsure, which was very strange. He'd always looked so bored and indifferent to everything. So what was making him uneasy?

I turned back to Janni. She was holding a Pokéball. For a moment, I wondered if she had a question about one of her Pokémon. But then I got a look at her face. It had changed dramatically as well. Instead of grinning and beaming, now she was smirking triumphantly.

A sense of dread settled over me. I automatically whipped my hand to my belt for a Pokéball, but Janni had already released her Venomoth. It flew at my head, unleashing a cloud of Sleep Powder. My vision blurred and I crashed to the ground.


	15. Poison

Heheh. My other story just did a chapter with someone trying to use magic to unlock a door.

I'm going with the Pokémon thing. If a Pokémon's poisoned, it just faints. It doesn't DIE. So don't worry.

Pisky-superclone Pikachu, Pogo- Quilava, Tydel- Feraligatr, Tropica-Chikorita, Pexle-Ninetales, Nova- Rapidash

Poison

I came to and slowly opened my eyes. I was lying facedown on a floor.

How strange. Why would I be on the floor?

In a moment, everything rushed back to me. I sat bolt upright, whipping my head back and forth.

I stared at my surroundings, slightly slack-jawed.

I was in a cage. No, a cell.

I gave a low growl of anger. Janni! This was her doing, wasn't it? What the hell? She'd attacked me! Knocked me out! Had she brought me here too? Locked me in a cell?

I snapped my hand down to my belt, searching for my Pokéballs. They were gone.

"Why would we leave you with your only weapon?" came a taunting voice. A familiar voice.

I jerked my head around to see Janni walking into view outside of my cell. She was smirking.

"What the hell do you want?" I snarled.

"Your Pokémon, of course," she said, holding her hands out as though this was obvious. "Team Rocket does that after all."

A momentary wave of panic flooded me. Did they know that I was the girl that had freed Mew three years ago? Did they know I was involved with Mewtwo?

"Normally," Janni continued lightly, "We'd just take your Pokémon and leave. That battle we shared yesterday told us that your team was pretty incredible. A good team. But what really got us interested was that Pikachu."

I tensed. The Pikachu cloned by Mewtwo. Did they know where he came from?

"That Pikachu is the only reason you're here now. You were holding it back during the match, and it still blew us away. And we're far from weak. That Pikcahu is too strong. Its Special Attacks aren't natural. Where did it come from? What did you do to make it so powerful?"

"Maybe love and compassion are just more powerful that the torture methods you use," I spat without thinking.

"Hah! You told us during dinner last night that you haven't even had that Pikachu for a month. There's no way you could train a Pokémon to this level in that short a time, even if you use your so-called 'love power.' But you don't have to answer now. It'll probably take you some time to adjust to your new _home_. We'll give you a chance to think about it. But think about _this_. If you even want to _imagine_ freedom again, you'll tell us what you know."

She turned and strode out of sight.

I gave a furious roar and kicked the bars of the cage. As you can probably guess, that did nothing to help my situation.

I sat down heavily on the ground, rubbing my foot. This was bad. And not only for the obvious reasons. What if they found out who I was? What if they found out that Pisky was made by Mewtwo?

I shuddered.

I had to get out of here. I needed to get my Pokémon back. I had to protect Pisky, who was in the most danger.

And I couldn't betray Mewtwo. I think… he'd finally learned to trust. He even called me his friend. I couldn't let him suffer anymore by losing one of his clones. He cared for them. I could tell. They were the closest thing he had to family.

Ok. I gotta do something. I gotta try.

I flinched slightly. I'd been in this situation once before. When Giovanni had used me as bait to catch Mew. I'd been tied up then.

According to Sabrina, the same powers that let me talk to Pokémon gave me weak telekinetic powers. But I'd never been able to use them to any significant extent.

I'd tried three years ago. When I was tied up, I'd tried to use my psychic powers to untie the knot. But I wasn't practiced enough. There had been no way for me to do something so complicated.

Honestly, I hadn't really improved much since then. About the most I could do was make a ball roll in some random direction.

What matters is, the odds of me using telekinesis to unlock a door were practically nonexistent.

But I had to try anyway.

I leaned my forehead against the cell door and placed my hands on my half of the lock.

I tried to focus, to remember what Sabrina had taught me. To apply it to something as complicated as picking a lock.

I took deep, steadying breaths, trying to calm my frantic mind. I pushed my power into the lock, trying to imagine it in a key shape. I worked it this way and that. There was a gentle scraping, but the door didn't budge.

I continued to work, losing all track of time. I remained leaning against the door, my eyes closed, focused on my task.

"Are you trying to force the door open with your mind?"

A huge jolt ran through me. My hands slipped on the door and I went crashing to the ground, cracking my head painfully against one of the bars.

I scrambled around, trying to see who had spoken.

I squinted at the figure. The hallway was dimly lit. Did that mean that night had fallen already?

It wasn't Janni. The voice… didn't seem familiar.

Then I realized who it was that was standing there. It was Himilay. I didn't recognize his voice because he hadn't really spoken earlier.

"You've been sitting there for at least ten minutes," he continued.

Had he really been standing there for ten minutes?

"You didn't look up though."

Wincing from the bump on my head, I pushed myself to my feet, glaring at Himilay.

"You were in on this too, weren't you?" I spat. "I thought you might have just gotten stuck in the middle of it, but you were involved!"

Himilay stared at me, and then dropped his gaze.

"Hmm."

"What have you done with my Pokémon? If you hurt them, I swear I'll…"

"Your Pikachu's pretty amazing."

My mouth remained open, mid-word.

"What he did to my Piloswine… I've never seen anything like that. Even after that, you tried to help my Piloswine. You actually cared about your opponent's Pokémon."

I forgot to shut my mouth and remained staring at him.

"I'm sorry about what happened. I'm not here because I want to be. I don't know where they're keeping your Pokémon. I can't help you there. But… This…" He trailed off and took a step nearer the bars. He dropped something that landed with a soft "tink" and then he turned and strode away.

I stared after him, my mouth still open slightly. Then I snapped to my senses and reached for what he'd dropped. It was a key.

I snatched it up and jammed it into the lock. A moment later I was free.

I pocketed the key and ran in the direction that Himilay had gone. I emerged into a darkened hallway. Himilay was gone.

I ran down one of the routes, trusting that most people would be off duty at night. Were there any cameras?

I couldn't worry about that. I had to find my Pokémon.

I called out to them telepathically.

_Hey, guys! Nova! Pisky! Are you there? _

_Yes, _came Pisky's voice.

_Where are you? Are they hurting you? _

_What? I don't know what you mean. I'm in my Pokéball. Aren't I still with you? _

_No! Janni tricked us! She took all of you away from me! Don't let them hurt you! I'm trying to find you now! I promise I'll get you back! _

I skidded around one corner and opened a door.

Nothing but storage.

I shut the door and continued on, running the darkened corridors.

I tried two more doors, but didn't find anything of interest.

Where was I? Where was the exit?

Another door. This one was locked.

I rammed the key into the door and turned it, but the door remained shut. I pushed against it, but nothing happened. I wriggled the key once more, and then a high-pitched blaring sound filled the halls.

I jumped back, alarmed. The lights flashed red and the wailing continued.

"Shoot! An alarm!"

I took off again, without a clue where I was going. Had I gone in a circle? Was I back where I started?

No! There's something different! Double doors! Should I try to go through them?

The alarm was still shrieking, ringing through the building. I could hear running footsteps down one of the halls.

Someone appeared in front of the doors. A man in a Team Rocket uniform.

He spotted me and reached for his belt. But I charged at him, using my momentum and my elbow to strike him hard in the side.

He gave an "oof" and fell over.

I rushed past him and pushed open the doors. Cool night air poured over me. Without thinking, I stepped outside and continued running.

Wait! My Pokémon … I had to get them back! I couldn't run away like this! But I had no way of fighting. I'd need to come back with a proper team in order to save them. A good team. What if they knew I'd return? They'd probably have tighter security next time. But they'd regret this! I'd make sure of it.

I headed for the darkness before me. There was a forest. I could see the black patch against the stars.

I looked back over my shoulder at the building. All the lights had been turned on. Someone was emerging through the doors I'd just escaped through. I recognized that figure. It was Janni.

She was coming after me. And she was fast.

I turned back to the front. I had to focus on where I was running.

But I heard more voices and footsteps as others emerged from the building. And there were two red flashes in my peripheral vision. Janni had just unleashed two Pokémon.

I couldn't look to see what they were. I'd just arrived at the forest. I needed to pay attention so I didn't crash into a tree or trip over a root.

Then something swooped down on me. A Noctowl. But there was something odd about it…

Can't look! I ducked out from beneath Noctowl's wings and jumped over a rut in the forest floor.

Noctowl appeared in front of me again, and this time I could tell what was different about it. It was carrying something on its back. Another Pokémon. A spiky purple Pokémon.

The second Pokémon jumped off of Noctowl, landing directly in front of me. I jumped over it and continued running.

A Nidorino.

I heard Nidorino crashing after me. But I could outrun it. Nidorino have short legs.

Except I'd forgot something.

Noctowl was suddenly in front of me again, beating its wings in my face.

I batted it away.

Suddenly the wind was knocked out of me as I ran full-tilt into a tree branch at stomach-level.

Air rushed out of my lungs and the branch broke. I pin wheeled my arms, desperately trying to regain my balance.

As I tried to regain my balance, I felt something sharp pierce my right ankle. A moment later, searing pain spread up my leg, making me cease up.

I looked down in time to see Nidorino pull away. He'd gotten me with his poison horn.

I kicked out at him with my injured foot and he hopped away.

I started running again. Every step on my right foot shot pain up through my spine. The poison was spreading.

I turned, running along a slope coated in bushes and ferns. Each step was worse than the last.

Finally my leg gave out from under me, sending me head-first into a thick shrub.

The bush chucked me out and I fell in a whirl of twigs and leaves, rolling down the hill.

I landed in a heap beneath the fronds of a large fern.

I couldn't move anymore. It was too much.

I felt my brain fogging as the toxins seeped through me. I couldn't focus anymore. Even the pain was starting to dull.

They'd find me. They'd pick me up and take me back. And I wouldn't get out next time.

I slid into darkness.


	16. Hari

Aw, man, I've been wanting to write this chapter for ages! Finally I get to it! Yesss!

Pisky-superclone Pikachu, Pogo- Quilava, Tydel- Feraligatr, Tropica-Chikorita, Pexle-Ninetales, Nova- Rapidash

Hari

There was something warm beneath me. I was so comfortable that I didn't want to move. I opened one eye a fraction of an inch.

What a strange dream. There's trees around me. Soft grass and beams of sunlight. An empty glade.

My eyes closed again and I drifted off into sleep once more.

…

On a table, in a darkened room, there lay a tray with six Pokéballs resting on it.

One of them began to wobble, rocking back and forth in its slot. Suddenly it burst open in a flash of red light, and a Pikachu appeared.

Pisky shook himself off and glared down at the Pokéball that had been imprisoning him.

He glanced around the room, but there wasn't much to see. Shelves full of folders and documents, and a table with a computer on it.

Cara was nowhere to be seen. And this definitely wasn't her house.

Pisky bristled slightly, registering the fact that he'd been kidnapped.

He turned to his Pokéball and the five containing the rest of Cara's team. Something told him that it would be bad to leave them there. Except he knew that he couldn't carry them all. He had small hands.

He grabbed the tray in both paws and tried to pull it, but it was big and awkward to slide, plus it would only fall off the desk if he kept pulling it.

Pisky jumped off of the table and went to the door. It was ajar by about an inch, and he pushed it open.

The hallway outside was dark and deserted. It must be nighttime.

Pisky trotted out into the hall a few feet, glancing around. He knew that he had to get out of here and find Cara.

…

I again felt the warm, comfortable sensation. It would be so nice just to lie here forever. I shifted slightly, giving a small little mumbling sound as I adjusted my position.

That was when my last memories began to seep back into my brain. Running from Janni and rolling down a hill.

My eyes snapped open.

It took them a moment to focus on what was in front of me. This is because something was very close to my face.

I suddenly realized that the thing in front of my face was a pair of eyes.

My head jerked involuntarily and my skull cracked against the head of the person in front of me.

I groaned and leaned back, my hands pressing against my forehead. Beside me, I heard a thud, like someone falling over.

I moved my hands so I could see in front of me.

My mouth hung open slightly. It was the last thing I expected to see.

A boy. Maybe eight of nine years old. He was wearing only a tattered, frayed pair of brown shorts and had a head covered in a long, tangled mass of black hair that stuck out in every direction and reached about to his lower back.

He was sitting back, leaning against one arm, and rubbing his forehead with his free hand.

_That's what you get for putting your face so close to someone else's Hari, _said an unfamiliar Pokémon voice.

Whoa, whoa. Back up. What on Earth? What's with the kid? Where am I?

I glanced around and realized with a start that I was in fact in a forest glade. I guess I hadn't been dreaming. So, Janni hadn't found me and caught me. That was something, at least.

The kid pushed himself forwards onto his knees and scootched towards me, his blue eyes open extremely wide. He looked as though he was staring at an alien.

I leaned back as far as I could, against my back rest. This was a bit… awkward.

"Gro pika char saur pix?"

"Um… excuse me?" I said, raising my eyebrows and trying to lean a little farther away from him.

"Ooh," He exclaimed. "You talk that way! Slowking taught me how to too 'cept I never met anyone else who could and this way of talking is so weird! Don'?

His speech seemed to accelerate until it was all blurred into one long word.

"Uh, uh… _what_?" I tried to sort out what he'd just said in my mind.

There was a small chuckle. _Hari, calm down. I think you're scaring the poor girl. And don't speak so fast. _**I**_ can barely understand you. _The telepathic voice was accompanied by a series of "Unlaa," sounds that I'd never heard.

The boy took several deep breaths, which may have been due to the fact that he hadn't breathed once during his speech.

But that Pokémon voice…

I glanced around, trying to find its source.

Then the thing behind my back shifted and I glanced around to see a sleek white head and yellow eyes.

The Pokémon smiled at me and I quickly leaned forwards, removing my weight from her.

I stared at the red and white Pokémon. I'd never seen one like it. At least not in real life. But I'd read about something like her before. She was about my size, and shaped almost like an airplane, with two smooth wings folder against her back.

_I hope you were comfortable? _She cocked her head enquiringly.

"Oh, well, yes, actually I was. Thank you."

_I'm Latias. And this is Hari. _

I turned to face the boy, Hari. He was sitting up on his knees, staring at me again. I'd never seen anyone open their eyes so wide before.

Latias chuckled again. _You should forgive him. You see, he's never met a human before. _

My mouth fell open and I turned back to Hari

"_Never_?"

Hari shook his head. I recalled when he'd told me. Slowking had taught him how to talk.

_Hari, why don't you go and find some food for her? I'm sure she'd appreciate that. And you can talk to her when you get back. _

Hari grinned broadly. "Ok!" He jumped to his feet and bounded to the edge of a clearing. "Hey, Grow!" He shouted.

A couple seconds later, a green Pokémon landed at his side. A Grovyle.

The two of them disappeared into the forest.

Latias sighed. _He really is a sweet boy, but you've never seen such an energetic human. _

I realized that she'd sent Hari away because she wanted to talk to me. I sat down cross-legged in front of her. That was when I noticed my ankle. It ached a little bit where I'd been poisoned, but someone had wrapped it in green bandages. No, they were leaves, not bandages. "You said he'd never seen a human before?"

Latias shook her head. _Not that he can remember. See, there was something of a disaster many years ago. Hari's parents fled with their little boy, but got lost in the woods. Unfortunately they didn't make it. Luckily my brother and I happened to be passing through at the time. We took care of him for a while, but we rarely stay in the same place for long, so the rest of the Pokémon here started looking after him. Slowking taught him how to talk. We still come and visit as often as we can. _

"Why didn't you bring him to a town or something?"

_Well, part of it was because we were a little nervous of humans at the time and tried to avoid big cities as much as possible. But we ended up getting rather attached to him as well. _

I looked down at my bandaged ankle. "Thanks for helping me."

_Actually, that was Hari. See, he's used to helping Pokémon that are hurt. So, he knows how to treat poisoning. _

_My brother, Latios, and I did see you fleeing from those bad people. Latios carried you here. He's back at that building that you ran from, keeping an eye on things. He's very good at disguising himself, so he won't get caught. _

"How far into the forest are we?" I asked. I'd just thought that we must be pretty far from civilization if Hari had never seen another human.

_Pretty deep, _Latias admitted. _Humans never make it this far. _

"Oh! Hey, listen!" I exclaimed suddenly. "I have to get back in that building! They still have my Pokémon! I gotta get them back!"

Latias thought for a minute. _Give me a moment. Latios is showing me something. I can see what he sees. Ah, yes. The place is heavily guarded. It won't be easy getting in. _

"I will though. I definitely will!"

_I never said it was impossible. Especially if you have Hari, Latios and I. _

"You'll help me?"

_I don't see why not. I think Hari especially will want to help you since you're the first of his kind he's ever met. Besides, there's a favor I'd like to ask of you. _

"OK."

_I think you'd be the best for it, just because of the fact that you're sitting here speaking with me. Not many other people can talk to Pokémon. Hari can because he was raised with them and can talk the way they do. _

So that was why he'd greeted me with that string of partial Pokémon names.

_You don't speak that way though. You use your mind. But I think you'll understand him better than most others. _

I wondered where she was heading with this.

_When you get out of here and save your Pokémon, please take Hari with you. _

"Eh?"

_He's lived out here too long. He needs to live with his own kind, or at least interact with them. We'll miss him. All of the Pokémon here are very attached to him, but we've decided that it's best that he returns to his own kind. Please take him with you and look after him. _

This was entirely… unexpected.

_You don't have to answer now. You'll probably want to get to know him first. Anyway, here he comes now. _

I looked over in time to see Hari and Grovyle appear again. Hari was carrying a large leaf folded in half and Grovyle was carrying a half-eaten berry.

Hari unfolded the leaf in front of me and several berries rolled onto the grass in front of me. Judging by Hari's juice-stained face, he'd eaten several berries on his way here.

_Hari, you didn't wash your face, _Latias reminded him.

"Oh yeah! I forgot!"

He bounded away again and appeared a moment later soaked in water. There must be a stream nearby.

Hari plopped down next to me. He watched as I started eating the berries ravenously.

"Thanks," I said once I'd swallowed my first bite. I bit into another.

Hari grinned, his eyes peering out from behind his tangled hair.

"Hey, where's you from?" he asked.

"Well, I'm from pretty far away, actually. I kinda live on an island way out in the ocean."

"Ocean. That's a really big lake, right?"

"That's right. Bigger than you could ever imagine. It's… almost as big as the sky."

Hari looked up at the sky in awe. "Ooh. The sky's pretty big!"

"Yeah. It is. I could take you there if you wanted."

Hari's eyes got very big again. "Really? Really? The sky-big-ocean?"

"Yeah. Latias said that you might want to come and explore some with me. The island I live on is full of Pokémon you've probably never seen before."

"Wow. Wow. See the ocean and new Pokémon?"

Grovyle nodded, snatching one of the berries from the pile and biting into it.

Hari looked at Grovyle. "Could Gro come?"

"Yeah, Gro could come," I said, nodding to Grovyle.

"Gro," Grovyle replied, taking another bite of berry.

"But what about the other Pokémon here," Hari said, cocking his head. "I don't think they'd all come."

"Well, no, probably not. But you could always come back and visit them. And Latios and Latias."

I gulped. I mean, I knew it was important that Hari should come back to live with humans again, but seriously. What the heck did I know about taking care of a kid? Especially a kid who's lived his entire life in a forest? Who can make his eyes as big as Pokéballs and doesn't seem to know much about personal space? Who I just met about ten minutes ago and don't really know anything about?

_We taught him some about human lifestyle, _Latias said. _We started preparing him for some of it, at least. _

OK, but still. What am I gonna do with a kid? I could always ask Mom and Dad. I mean… I certainly wasn't gonna leave him here. Maybe he'd want to live on Avalon. If he was used to living in the wild... Duuuude, what's Ben gonna say if I bring home a wild boy?

Hari looked up at the sky again, then to the trees where his Pokémon friends were undoubtedly waiting.

"Before you decide though," I continued, "I have to do something. The bad people that I was running away from stole some of my Pokémon friends. I have to get them back."

Hari's eyes were almost completely circular now. "They stole your friends?"

"Yeah, they did."

"Aww, that's horrible! We'll get them back! I'll help get them back!"

Well, OK. I admit it. He's kinda cute. And sweet. I smiled. "Thanks. I'll probably need your help. I can't do it on my own."

I stood up and walked over to where Hari had washed his face. There _was_ a stream there.

I drank from it. The fruit juice had helped some, but I was so thirsty.

When I returned, Hari was hugging Latias around the neck. She was currently hovering about two feet off the ground, eye-level with the boy.

"I's gonna miss you," He said.

_You're not gone yet," _said Latias, bothout loud in Pokémon language, and telepathically. Actually, most Pokémon do the telepathic thing even if they're speaking out loud. Just so's ya know.

Hari back up a step. "I guess if I really am gonna go with her…" He turned and shouted at me, "Hey, what's your name?"

"Oh. It's Cara."

"If I go with Cara, I better say bye to everyone else too."

_Yes. You'll have all day to do that. We won't be going back to that building until night fall anyway. And we need to come up with a plan. I'll tell Latios whatever we decide. _

I sat down in front of Latias, and Hari plopped down beside me.

"All right. Let me tell you what I know about these people."

…

Q&A By Cara

OK! We gots another question. And it's not "why is she saying 'gots'?"

I just introduced some new Pokémon to my team a couple chapters ago. Chikorita, Quilava, and Feraligatr. So, where'd they come from?

Actually, I'm gonna back up. So, there's lots of Pokémon on Avalon, the island I'm borrowing from Jed. Addie, my Plusle, and Nova, my Rapidash came from Avalon. I did mention that earlier. And some of my other Pokémon that you'll meet have come from Avalon too.

What I didn't mention was where my Johto starters came from. Well, I got them on my way through Johto, as a matter of fact. Yeah, I didn't go into much detail about that. I guess I really , next time I introduce a new Pokémon, I'll try to remember to tell you where they came from.

And I promise my Johto starters will get more of a role soon. They've kinda been stuck in their Pokéballs this whole time…


	17. A New Pet?

I'm taking a creative writing class this semester. It's fun.

I'm also taking a self-defense. I wanted to use some of the skill I've acquired for Cara. It's fun. There's this guy that I always end up "sparring" with, and we had our skill tests on Wednesday. After they were over, we randomly started attacking each other again. Heheh. We've discovered that it's really hard to throw someone who doesn't want to be thrown. And I suck at blocking partially cause I think more about attacking, and partially because I always think they're gonna punch with the other side, so I end up blocking the wrong side.

I didn't think I was gonna comment in front of this chapter, but I did anyway.

I also have a confession to make. I 'm supposed to be doing homework right now. I have a lot this weekend…

Gro-Hari's Grovyle, Pisky-clone Pikachu, Pogo- Quilava, Tydel- Feraligatr, Tropica-Chikorita, Pexle-Ninetales, Nova- Rapidash

A New Pet?

"That's really good," I said, impressed. Gro, Hari's Grovyle, had been demonstrating his skill. Gro was really fast, and the leaf blades on his head and elbows were formidable weapons.

Gro raised his head smugly and crossed his arms.

"Can I show you what I do now?" Hari asked eagerly. "I don't have leaf blades cause I'm a Normal type. I use lots of physical attacks! And I gots good speed!"

"You want to fight too?" I asked. I guess that wasn't surprising. He'd been raised with wild Pokémon, so he'd probably learned his own fighting style. Clearly, he thought he was a Normal-type Pokémon.

"Yeah, sure. I can practice some with you. I'm not really fast or strong, but I know a little bit."

I took a stance, raising my hands in front of my head, and faced Hari.

He didn't take a stance. He just stood and faced me.

So, I stepped forwards and swung my arm at him.

Quite suddenly, he was gone.

I lowered my arms slightly and glanced around.

Something touched my shoulders and shoved me forwards. I pin wheeled my arms to regain my balance and turned to see Hari landing behind me. He'd jumped out of my attack and spring-boarded off of my shoulders. Jeez! He's like a Mankey!

Hari turned and blinked at me.

"OK, I don't think I can really do anything against you," I admitted.

He cocked his head. "But you only tried once."

"I know when I'm beaten," I said, rubbing my head. "I'm not as strong as my Pokémon, not by a long shot."

Latias smiled. _We've seen a lot of human fighters in our travels, but none of them really fights the way this one does. _She gestured to Hari.

I smiled. "Yeah. Quite different than what I learned at the fighting dojo."

Hari cocked his head again. "Huh?"

He didn't seem to think his skill was anything out of the ordinary.

_One more thing, Hari, _Latias said. _Tonight you're going to see a lot of things you've never seen before. This is very important. I know you're going to want to explore, but you can't be distracted by anything. If you want to help Cara, you need to stay focused. You can't go chasing after other humans to ask them questions, or touching strange objects. _

Hari's face fell slightly. "Oh. OK. I guess it's important."

"We'll explore plenty after we save my Pokémon," I promised.

He brightened immediately. "OK!"

I winced and lifted my foot to massage my ankle. It was still a bit stiff. I would definitely not be at my most agile tonight. Luckily I had Hari with me.

"Is your foot OK?" he asked.

I smiled. "A lot better, thanks. It'll take a little while before it's perfect though."

"You could have some more Pecha berries," he suggested. "That might make you feel better."

"Pecha berries. Those cure poison. Yeah, you may be right."

"I put some of the juice on your foot," he said. "I done it before for other Pokémon."

I patted his head. "Thanks. Thanks a lot."

_Cara? _

I looked over to Latias.

_Do you want to meet some of the other Pokémon_ _here? It might help if a lot of us came with you. _

I hesitated. "Uh, well, I'm not sure that's a good idea. I think our best option is to sneak in without attracting too much attention. The reason I say that is because I don't want Team Rocket to catch any of the wild Pokémon that try to help me."

_That's a good point, _Latias agreed. _But my brother and I will accompany you anyway. _

I nodded. "Yeah. You're legendaries. I'm not as worried about you. Besides, it's easier to watch out for 2…" I looked over at Gro and then continued, "3 Pokémon than 50."

_Speaking of which, _Latias said, _Brother is coming now. _

I glanced around, but didn't see anything. I blinked and glanced upwards. I thought I'd just seen something move in front of that cloud, but it wasn't there anymore. There it is again! Lower now, in front of the trees. It was like someone was moving a distorted sheet of glass in front of the trees, making them appeared blurred and warped.

Then the transparent blurred outline suddenly became solid.

I gave a start and took a step backwards at this abrupt arrival.

The Pokémon before me was a lot like Latias, except it was blue and silver. So, this was Latios.

He looked me over from head to foot then went over and nuzzled Hari, who hugged him around the neck.

_So, _Latias said, turning back to me. _What's the plan? _

…

Latias and Latios dropped beneath the canopy of the forest closest to the building where I'd recently escaped. It was dark out, so I almost fell over a bush as I climbed off of Latios's back.

Hari and Gro got off Latias. Hari's dismount was quite a bit more graceful than mine.

Walking slowly, I edged behind a bush to peer out into the open. Hari materialized beside me.

He stared across the open field to where Team Rocket's warehouse was. Once again, his eyes were very round.

"That's a building?" he whispered.

I nodded.

"I promised I wouldn't explore though. I'll help you first."

He blinked up at me, his long, tumbleweed hair half-hiding his face.

I patted his head again. He reminded me of a Growlithe puppy.

"OK. Nothing looks out of the ordinary," I said softly. "But there will be security. Probably cameras once we get inside. Maybe an alarm if we try to break in, too."

"What?" Hari asked, cocking his head.

"Human stuff. Ways for them to know if we go in there."

"Oh."

_We can get you in, no problem, _Latios assured us.

"Yeah."

I flinched inwardly as I once again recalled something.

Mary. She had no idea what had happened to me. I'd disappeared half way through the competition. And we'd certainly been disqualified by now. That wasn't fair. She'd been so looking forward to this competition… Maybe they'd let her compete without me for the battle section of the tournament.

_Let's go,_ Latias said, interrupting my thoughts.

I nodded and the sibling Pokémon carried Hari, Gro, and I across the clearing where we landed silently on the roof.

We stepped carefully over the top of the building, trying not to make a sound.

"There's a skylight," I whispered.

I knelt beside it and found that it was ajar. I pried it open with my fingers and tried to look inside, but it was dark.

Hari peered in beside me.

And then another human crouched at my other side.

The appearance of the strange human startled me so badly that I almost fell head-first through the skylight.

The stranger steadied me, and I blinked at her, trying to get a good look at her face.

I didn't recognize her, but she was wearing all black. A Team Rocket uniform.

_Calm down, _came Latias's voice. The girl looked at me. _It's a disguise. We won't be noticed if we're dressed like this, right? _

"L-Latias? You're a shape-shifter?"

_No. Actually, it's an illusion. _

I looked over to the other side where an unfamiliar boy, also in Rocket wear, was sitting next to Hari. Latios had disguised himself too. Hari didn't seem surprised, so he'd obviously seen this trick before.

_We'll go down first, _Latios said. _We can get rid of any cameras in the room. _

I nodded and watched as the two slipped through the skylight and landed noiselessly inside the room below us.

Hari and I waited for a few minutes, then Latias called out.

_Come on down! The coast is clear! _

Hari dropped immediately through the skylight, followed by Gro. I slowly lowered myself down and dropped. My ankle twinged a bit, but nothing serious.

_Do you know where to look? _Latios asked.

"Hang on a sec." I shut my eyes. _Pisky! Pisky, can you hear me? I'm here! I need to find you and get you out of here! _

There was a pause. _You lost us! Sheesh! Well, come on, then. Follow my lead. _

The connection ended abruptly, but I felt a slight pull in the direction that I was supposed to go.

"This way," I said, beckoning to my companions.

I led them through one of the doors, and through another room, down a hallway, and then into a large gym-like room. Latias and Latios walked close beside us, using their Team Rocket disguised to try to cover Hari and I from view of the cameras that might be lurking somewhere.

Hari's head was turning this way and that, his eyes taking in everything.

We crossed the open gym, feeling slightly uneasy about the lack of cover. But we arrived at the other side without anyone leaping out at us, or anything. Through another door, and a minute later, we turned into one last room.

It was a very plain room with a shelf and a table with a computer. It also looked like a dead-end.

I glanced around, wondering if I hadn't gotten the directions right. I was already shaking from nerves. I wanted to get out of here as soon as possible. And I didn't want to trip the alarm in the process.

Something landed heavily on my shoulder, making me stumble forwards, and nearly cry out.

I caught myself against the table and, shaking, looked up to see what was on my shoulder.

"Pisky!" I gasped. "You're gonna give me a heart attack!"

_Serves you right for losing us. _

"Hang on, how'd you get out of your Pokéball?"

He shrugged. _It wasn't hard. _

"OK. Then where are the others?"

_I hid them. I thought it was better if the bad guys couldn't find them right away. _

"Thanks. That was good thinking."

Pisky jumped onto the floor and went behind the computer desk. I followed him and found the six Pokéballs stashed among the cords of the computer.

I gathered them up and hooked them back on my belt. Then I spotted my bag on the shelf and quickly snatched it up. It had my Pokégear and everything in it. I didn't want to lose that stuff if I could help it.

"OK. So far, so good. Let's get out of here. We need a window or something."

_There were windows and skylights in that big gym, _Latias reminded me.

"OK. Good. Let's get back there."

Pisky jumped on my shoulder, and our grouped headed down the hall back to the gym.

Yep. Windows to freedom. A whole row of them along the top of the wall. No problem getting up there with Latios and Latias to help.

Suddenly, the lights of the gym were flicked on, momentarily blinding us. I raised an arm in front of my face as Hari cowered from the unknown light source.

Janni stepped out into the gym, smirking.

"Looks like I was right. You did come back."


	18. Choosing a Side

Whoo! Really Long chapter!

Fire Spin is a really amazing attack in the anime, even though it's rather sucky in the games.

Gro-Hari's Grovyle, Pisky-clone Pikachu, Pogo- Quilava, Tydel- Feraligatr, Tropica-Chikorita, Pexle-Ninetales, Nova- Rapidash

* * *

Choosing a Side

Hari crouched low and growled. I put out my hand to tell him to stay back. If Jani wanted a fight, I'd give her one.

I stepped forwards across the gym to face her. She gave a little snort of amusement and pulled out a Pokéball.

Pisky's cheek sparked and he got ready to jump forwards.

_No, Pisky. _

_What do you mean, "no?" She kidnapped us! I want to teach her a lesson! _

_She expects me to use you. _

_So? _

_So, I will not be predictable. Stay back with Hari. _

Pisky glared at me for a moment, then jumped over onto Hari's shoulder.

I reached down and pulled out two Pokéballs. I passed one back to Latios.

_Open it, _I told him. _Try to get my Chikorita outside. Tell her to go and find the police and bring them here. _

Latios nodded. _I will once they're not paying attention to me. _

I took the other Pokéball and threw it out into the gym. Pexle, my Ninetales, came out. Janni threw out a Steelix. That startled me. The gym was barely big enough for it to move around. Unless Janni wanted to break down the building, how would Steelix unleash some of its most powerful attacks?

Pexle crouched low, his tails swishing and his teeth bared.

Steelix slammed his head forwards and Pexle jumped into the air, landing on his back. She sent a searing Flamethrower onto him, but Steelix barely flinched. He threw Pexle off and smashed his tail at him. Pexle hadn't regained his balance yet and took a heavy hit, crashing into the gym wall. He raised his head and let out a howl. His tails each stretched out and he opened his jaws to unleash Fire Spin.

Hari, Latias, and I stepped back against the wall as fire filled the room. Latios jumped into the air and opened Chikorita's Pokéball out the window.

Steelix pressed low to the ground and avoided the worst of the attack. I couldn't see behind its coils to where Janni was standing. For some reason, that bothered me.

Steelix raised his head and stuck out at Pexle, knocking him to the side again.

Pexle jumped back to his feet in time to avoid a strike from Crobat as it swooped down.

Wait… Crobat? What the…

Five more Pokémon had appeared, their arrival shielded by Steelix's body. That's why she'd called on Steelix. To give herself time to call for backup.

As the metal snake shifted to the side, I saw that several more Team Rocket thugs had appeared. They had released their Pokémon as well.

I grit my teeth. Janni didn't care about a fair fight. She just didn't want me getting away again.

Pexle stood, panting. He was already tired, and now he was facing Steelix, Crobat, Noctowl, Starmie, Ariados, and a Piloswine with a cracked tusk.

Piloswine?

Yes, Himilay was there too. He was standing in the back, fidgeting nervously. I caught his eye and he turned away.

"OK, guys, this is where I need your help," I said to my companions, reaching for my other Pokéballs.

Hari nodded and Grovyle swished his leaf blades. Latias and Latios, still in human form, took battle stances. Pisky jumped forwards and I released Nova (Rapidash), Pogo (Quilava), and Tydel (Feraligatr).

"You still want to fight?" Janni scoffed. "You know, we have a lot more Pokémon than this. You're outnumbered.

"I've been more outnumbered before," I countered. I was too angry to be afraid.

I glanced over at Himilay once more. I wondered if he would fight against me, or alongside me. He didn't want to be here, so then why did he stay? Was it a reason that I could help him get rid of? I would need his help if Janni decided to release the rest of her team. And I was pretty sure that she would.

"Last chance to surrender," Janni said in a falsely sweet voice. "If you cooperate, you don't even have to go back into your cell." It didn't seem like she knew Himilay had let me out. "But you _will_ give us the information that we want."

I didn't reply. My team and Gro stood in front of me with Hari, Latias and Latios at my side.

"I guess your silence is reply enough. She flicked her hand and the enemy Pokémon struck.

Tydel, my Feraligatr, acted first. He summoned a huge wave, which crashed down on the gym floor and shoved the opponents back. Steelix roared as the water hit him and he lashed forwards and caught Feraligatr up in a Bind attack.

Crobat launched herself at Gro, who jumped up and slashed with his blades. Noctowl knocked Gro to the ground and Ariados scuttled along Steelix's back, shooting random shots of string in every direction. Ariados was Himilay's Pokémon. Was it not directly attacking my team because Himilay didn't want to fight me? Or were the webs setting a trap? Piloswine also didn't seem to be taking major battle action.

Pexle, Pogo, and Nova lined up and shot fire out at Steelix. The combined attack loosened his grip on Tydel and my Feraligatr dropped free. He used Water Gun at Steelix's head, and the giant snake crashed to the ground.

Janni returned Steelix and sent out the rest of her team: Dewgong, Hitmontop, Nidorino, and a Gligar.

I noticed that Hari had run forwards and started trying to tackle Hitmontop. I went to tell him to get back here, but I had to dodge to the side as Gro bounded past my head.

The gym was so hectic that I could barely tell what was going on. It was only when I saw a red and blue streak that I realized that Latios and Latias had returned to their Pokémon forms. Both of them shifted into that transparent phase that I had first noticed Latios in. Pisky was on Latias's back, zapping opponents from above.

I smiled. With Pisky, Latias and Latios, I wasn't too worried about losing.

I glanced over to where the Team Rocket lineup was. There were at least ten of them. Only Janni had released her whole team. My heart sank. What if they all had more Pokémon to release? It already looked like they'd sent out more of their team.

I had to get to Himilay.

I dashed across the gym, diving under Nova's hooves and almost tripping over Piloswine. I had to throw myself to the ground as Crobat swooped at my head.

Hari bounced over me and charged ahead. I reached out to try to grab his ankle, but missed.

I rolled to my feet. I was in the center of the gym. The very easiest place to get hit by a stray attack.

I threw myself forwards on my belly again as Ice Beam sliced over my head. I scrambled forwards on all fours and tried to look around to find out where Himilay was. I couldn't really see beyond the battling Pokémon.

I looked over in time to see Nidorino charging towards me. I flinched and automatically pulled in my injured leg. I tried to roll out of the way, but suddenly found myself lifted off of the ground by something invisible.

"Waah!" I shouted. That was when I realized that it was Latios who had me.

_You should probably stay out of the center of the fight, unless you plan to act like our little friend there. _Latios indicated Hari, who was clinging to a human's back and trying not to get thrown off.

Latios dropped me not far from Hari, and that was when I noticed that Hari was on Himilay.

"Hari, let go!" I shouted, running towards him.

Hari blinked and dropped to the ground. Himilay whirled around, gasping.

"What the heck…"

"Himilay," I said loudly, cutting him off. It was so noisy in the gym that I wasn't worried about anyone hearing us. "Why are you here?"

"What?"

"Why do you work for Team Rocket?"

"I have to!"

"Why?"

He stared at me. "This isn't really the time! This is supposed to be a battle! Why aren't you telling your Pokémon what to do?"

"They can handle themselves. Tell me why."

"Because they took me in! I didn't have anywhere to go, and they gave me food and a place to stay as long as I helped them!"

"But you don't want to be here. Some food and a place to sleep isn't worth becoming a criminal."

"But…"

"Listen. Team Rocket didn't do this out of kindness. They probably just did it to get someone else to work for them. Don't let them force you to do this. It's not what you want."

Himilay didn't reply.

Suddenly I saw Janni approaching us. I gave Himilay one last pleading look, then sprinted off across the perimeter of the gym. I paused to hear Janni shouting, "What's wrong with you? Your Pokémon are just getting in the way! Make them fight!"

"Sorry," Himilay mumbled. "I'm not feeling too well right now. And Piloswine and Ariados aren't used to having so many Pokémon in the room."

"Who cares? And hurry up and send out the rest of your team!"

Himilay took out four more Pokéballs and released Arbok, Dodrio, Sneasel, and Donphan.

I looked across the gym to see that Pexle had been defeated. I returned him and tried to locate the rest of my team. I noticed that the number of enemy Pokémon was decreasing as well. Latios and Latias were still invisible. Team Rocket didn't know how so many of their Pokémon were being knocked out by invisible sources.

"Please, Tropica. Bring the police here," I whispered. I fairly jumped out of my skin when something touched my back, but it was only Hari.

"Hari," I said quickly, "Himilay, that boy there, might help us. I'm not sure yet, but don't attack him anymore. But we still might be able to make it without his help, thanks to Latios and Latias."

Hari nodded. "Yeah, your Pokémon are really good too! Just cause there's more of them don't mean they're any good!"

"You're right. It's…"

"Laaaaa!"

Both of us looked over in time to see Venomoth attacking the invisible Latias. Venomoth's eyes must have seen through the illusion. Latias had been hit with Stun Spore. She flickered into view and crashed to the ground.

Latios growled angrily and became visible as he rushed to protect his sister. Hari bounded over to help and I ran after him, skidding to a halt in front of the sibling Pokémon.

The battle around us paused as the legendaries became visible.

"So," Janni said, sneering and stepping towards us. "Latios and Latias, huh? No wonder. This makes things all the more interesting. I'd much rather have these two than that Pikachu."

Pisky was panting and tired, but he growled.

"Himilay," Janni called.

Himilay looked up to see Janni point at his Ariados.

"Use its webs to stop Latios."

Himilay stepped forwards, looking at the ground. I watched him, trying to stand between him and Latias. Hari growled and Latios prepared to attack. Ariados shifted slightly, clacking his pincers.

The moment stretched, feeling much longer than it really was.

Himilay's head jerked up and Ariados whirled around, using String Shot on Jannni's Venomoth.

"What are you doing?" She shrieked. "Catch Latios and Latias!"

Himilay's team gathered around him and he glared back at Janni. "I'm not your puppet anymore."

She stared at him, open-mouthed. She quickly regained her composure. Her Dewgong sent Aurora Beam at Ariados, but Sneasel jumped in front of it and deflected it with her claws.

"Traitor," Janni snarled.

"I never wanted to be here in the first place," Hari growled.

Latias floated up into the air. Hari had just fed her a berry to cure paralysis.

All of us faced down Team Rocket's dwindling forces.

I grinned at Janni. "I thought you would have learned your lesson after you got beat once." I heard scuffing coming from outside. "And it looks like our backup has arrived too. It's over."

At that moment, the doors burst open and Growlithe and Spinarak swarmed in. A Bayleef stomped in after them.

Spinarak shot out webs, restraining all of Team Rocket. The Growlithe quickly took out the remaining Pokémon. In less than a minute, it was over.

Officer Jenny came in. That was when I realized that Latios and Latias were gone. So was Himilay.

I glanced around, but Himilay's team was gone too. He obviously didn't want anything to do with the police. I guess I couldn't blame him…

Bayleef came up and nuzzled me. I noticed the familiar jagged tear in her leaf.

"Tropica?" I said, amazed. "You evolved into a Bayleef!"

"Bay! Bay!"

…

I guess Janni and the others got locked up or something. Their Pokémon were confiscated and the building was being searched.

It was quite a while later when I finally escaped from Officer Jenny. Well, I mean, she needed to talk to me about some stuff. I told her about how they kidnapped me and how I'd gotten my Chikorita to bring the police.

I conveniently left out several details, like Latios, Latias, and the wild boy (I'd convinced them to let Hari wait outside since he was just a kid). I didn't mind helping, but it was tiring. And I was tired because it was almost daybreak and I hadn't gotten any sleep. And I really wanted to try to catch up with Himilay before he got too far away. And what about Latios and Latias? I needed to thank them too.

I got my fully recovered Pokémon back, along with Gro. Then I went out to find Hari.

He was waiting in the bushes back in the forest. Latios and Latias were with him. And, to my astonishment, Himilay was too.

He gave an awkward smile. "Hey. I wanted to stick around and say thanks. And then these guys came and found me. Uh, Hari has been telling me about how you met?"

Hari grinned.

"Eheheh, yeah. Must sound pretty strange, huh?" I admitted, scratching my head.

"A wild boy, huh?" Himilay muttered. "But, yeah. Thanks. I'm glad you came along. I really didn't want to be there. Even though I don't know where I'm gonna go now."

"Well, you can travel with me for a little while until you know for sure," I offered. "And I know a lot of people who could help you too."

Himilay shrugged. "Maybe. I dunno yet."

"Sure." I turned to Latios and Latias. "Thanks. I couldn't have done it without you."

The two of them nodded.

_And thank you for agreeing to take care of Hari, _Latias replied.

"Sure." On that point, I still wasn't sure what I was gonna do with him.

_I think it's time we left though, _Latios sighed. _We need to be on the move. _

I nodded. "Thanks again for your help."

Latios and Latias rose up into the air and cried a final farewell before flying away to the sunrise. Gro and Hari waved after them.

Hari yawned loudly, and then said, "I'm hungry."

"I'm just tired," I muttered. "But there's something I have to do before I go to sleep. I need to go back into Gondenrod City to find Mary."

"Oh, that girl you were with?" Himilay asked.

"Yeah. I don't think she knows what happened to me. I don't suppose you know how the tournament ended?"

Himilay shook his head. "No. We didn't go back to finish. Janni was more interested in your Pikachu than winning the contest."

"I see. Anyway, I have to go back and find Mary and tell her what happened…"

"Yeah, sorry about that," Himilay sighed.

"Do you want to come?"

"Not particularly," Himilay muttered at the same time as Hari shouted "YESSSS!"

I pulled off my pack and took out a spare shirt. "Hari, if you're coming, you should at least wear a shirt. Here. Hold still."

I pulled the shirt over him. It was big on him, but that was probably best since he was only used to wearing shorts. I should get him a better pair of shorts too.

"I'll walk with you to the edge of the city," Himilay offered.

I nodded and we all set off. Hari tugged at his new shirt, cocking his head and flapping his arms a bit in the big sleeves.

The sun shone on the city as we rounded a corner. I kept walking for a moment before I realized that Hari and Himilay had stopped. I turned to see Hari hiding behind a tree trunk with Gro and Himilay staring at him.

"What's wrong?" I asked, going back to Hari.

He was staring wide-eyed at the city.

"That's Goldenrod City," I explained.

"It's so big," He whispered. He looked frightened.

"That's true, it is," I agreed. "Listen, why don't you guys wait here? I'll bring back some breakfast."

Hari gave a tiny nod.

"I'll wait with him," Himilay offered. I didn't want to go in anyway."

"OK. I'll leave Pexle with you too."

I let my Ninetales out of the Pokéball and waved.

I walked down the road, yawning. I guess it was obvious that Hari would be frightened by something so big and alien as a city. One building was a big enough difference for him. I should bring him to a small town before I try to get him into a city.

I arrived at the Pokémon Center, hoping that Mary hadn't left yet. I breathed a sigh of relief as I found her eating breakfast at one of the tables.

"Hey!" I called.

She looked up and relief spread over her face. "Cara! You're back! What happened?"

So, I told her. She looked shocked and was stunned into silence until I asked her about the tournament. She told me that she'd been able to switch competition to the single battles. She hadn't placed though.

"Shoot, I'm sorry," I said. "I know you needed my help for the battles. I would really like to pair with you again though, next time there's a competition like this.

Mary smiled. "Sure. I want to partner with you again too. I need help in the battles. And it's not your fault anyway. I did better since you helped me train the day before. I'm glad you're OK though."

"Yeah." I figured it would be rather dramatic to say that I'd gotten much worse from Team Rocket.

…

I headed back to the forest with a pack full of food. Right as I reached the outskirts of Goldenrod, I froze. Standing down the path was a figure in a cloak and a brimmed hat. Even though his face was hidden, I could tell that he was looking at me.

A moment later, he jumped away into the forest.

I stood there for a minute with my mouth hanging open, then smiled and continued walking.

Himilay was standing against a tree trunk. He raised a hand in greeting.

"How's Hari?" I asked, handing Himilay a wrapped sandwich.

"See for yourself," He said, tearing off the wrapper. He jabbed his thumb towards the bushes.

I stepped off the path and glanced around. I cupped a hand over my mouth and backed away, trying not to make a sound.

I removed my hand and grinned broadly. It was so cute that I didn't want to wake them. Ninetales was curled up around Hari and Gro. All of them were fast asleep.

…

Theatre:

A wild Hari appeared!

Cara used one Pokéball.

Gotcha! Hari was caught!


	19. Uh Training?

It's a bit late this week, but it was Halloween this weekend!

This chapter is gonna set you up for the next story. Uh… I guess it's kinda filler. ^-^' I hope it's not lame.

Uh… Training?

So, lots of loose ends to tie up.

Well, we were tired, and we slept a lot. _Then_ I had to figure out what to do with Hari. It required a lot of thought, and the events of the last couple days had short-circuited my brain a bit, so thinking wasn't as easy as it usually is.

My options were somewhat limited until I could get Hari used to cities, because I had to get through a big city in order to teleport back to Avalon.

I needed go to Mom and Dad's house. I needed to ask their advice about Hari. After all, they know more about that kind of stuff than I do… But they're in Kanto and I'm in Johto. And Hari's never been on a train before. So I could get Ben to send me a flying Pokémon. Aah! I have to call Ben too!

And then there's Himilay. What's going to happen to him?

Hari was still asleep. Himilay and I were sitting in the bushes next to the road. So, I could fix that last problem right now.

"What do you think you're gonna do now?" I asked him, scratching at the dirt with a twig.

Himilay was quiet for a minute.

"I was thinking about exploring Johto. I've been around some, but always on assignments. I never got to go where I wanted. I might take the gym challenge too."

"You can call me if you ever need any help."

He gave a small laugh. "I kidnapped you, remember? You're not supposed to be so nice to me. I'm the one who should be offering to help you."

I shrugged. "Either way."

"What about you? What are you gonna do with the kid?" He jabbed his thumb at the sleeping Hari.

I gave a hollow laugh. "Good question. I want to bring him to Mom and Dad's house. I'll need to talk to them about this. But I need to find a way to get there. Once I can get my Charizard, or something, it won't be hard."

Himilay failed to suppress a grin. "I've never really thought about what I'd do if I found a wild kid."

"No kidding. Ah, while I'm thinking about it, let me get your number."

I took out my Pokégear and registered Himilay. Then I dialed up Ben.

Ben's face appeared on the monitor almost instantly. He looked anxious and tense.

"Cara!" he gasped. "Finally! I've been trying to get ahold of you for the past two days! Where were you? What happened?"

"Did something happen?" I asked, instantly panicking. Had some emergency occurred on Avalon while I was away?

"Well, two days ago, a lot of the Pokémon started getting upset. I've never seen them act that way. Then they calmed down some yesterday."

"Was it a lot of the psychic Pokémon? I asked, realizing what must have happened.

"Yeah. Yeah, I think so."

"I think they knew that I was in danger."

So, I told him everything and introduced him to Himilay. I pointed the camera at Hari, who was still curled up with Gro and Ninetales.

"Anyway, I need you to send Charren over. I'll come back to Avalon after I stop by home. Anything you want me to tell your mom and dad?"

…

Himilay gathered his things together and headed off down the trail with his Pokémon team safely in their Pokéballs. Hari and I waved farewell, and then the two of us climbed onto Charren's back. It was a long flight between Goldenrod and Kanto. But it let Hari see the cities and towns from a safe distance. He was so fascinated by the aerial views of civilization that he nearly fell off of Charren's back more than once.

We finally arrived at Aqua Town. Hari quickly warmed to the small town, and I had to chase him around all of the buildings and streets before finally getting him to Mom and Dad's door.

Well, Mom and Dad were… surprised.

As we talked, Hari entertained himself by exploring every corner of their house. Thankfully nothing valuable was broken.

So, let's see. I know you're all here to hear about Pokémon, not wild boys. Let me just leave it at "I LOVE YOU MOM AND DAD! Thanks for helping me with a wild boy…"

Yes. We got him some normal clothes. But Mom only found it safe to cut off a couple inches of his hair. It doesn't look much different actually…

I'm only 14! How do I end up in a Mom position?

It didn't take long to fly to Saffron. What took a long time was walking to the gym.

We stood at the outskirts of town for a long time. Hari stared at the skyscrapers with wide eyes.

"How do they get so tall?"

"Well…"

"What do they use them for?"

"People live in some of them. And people work in the others. One of them is a gym."

"What's a gym?"

"That's where Pokémon trainers go to battle really tough trainers. We're actually going to the Saffron Gym. We need to use the warp panel there to get to Avalon."

Hari walked towards the city his head craning up as he entered the shadow of a large building. Gro followed him, looking rather indifferent.

"Ready?" I asked him.

He nodded.

"You can look around, but don't lose sight of me. All right?"

He nodded again.

I groaned. I hoped that he had heard me. I didn't want to lose him. Maybe I should tie a leash to him?

For the first minute or so, we didn't run into many people. Hari was content to run to a streetlight of a planter box and shout loudly "what's this do?"

He tried to look in through the windows until I made him stop, after which he asked me what the storm drains were for and why the road was covered in flat rock.

Then a car drove by. And then we found our way onto the first busy road.

"Ooh, Cara, look how fat that guy is! How do people get so big? Ooh, that lady's really tall! Those two boys have the same face! That person has really dark skin! Why does that lady have white hair?"

I hunched down, trying to shrink from sight. I was perfectly aware that everyone was staring at both of us.

Hari caught sight of a wild Meowth across the street and bounded out into the road after it.

"Hari!" I shouted, leaping forwards and grabbing the back of his shirt. I dragged him backwards just as a car screeched past us, where Hari would have been if I hadn't stopped him.

We toppled back against the curb and sat there, panting and gasping.

Hari turned to me, eyes huge and remorseful. "I'm sorry."

My heart melted.

"That's OK. You didn't know. Stay next to me until we get to the gym."

Hari nodded and we continued walking. I felt the eyes of the crowd continue to follow us after we turned off the main road.

A minute later, I heard a thud. I turned around to see Hari sprawled on his face, fast asleep.

I bit back a smile and lifted him on my back. Gro and I walked the rest of the way to the gym.

…

It's been a few weeks. Or more? Yeah. I think it's been more than that. Definitely over a month.

Mewtwo is still away. I hope he's doing all right… Oh, the clones are all fine. They're doing great, actually!

So is Hari. We've spent a lot of the past several weeks on Avalon, letting him get acclimated to the simplest things about houses and people. He likes it here. He can go and play with the Pokémon in the forest whenever he wants.

Ben and I took him back to Mom and Dad's house and we spent a week visiting a few of the smaller towns, like Pallet town. When dealing with a ball of energy, it's useful to have several helpers with you. That way when one person collapses from exhaustion, there's another one to take over. Ben and all of our Pokémon were very useful with that…


	20. The Forest Shrine

Sorry about the last chapter. It was an incredibly lame transition. I'll make this one better!

My friend, N (who has never set eyes on this story) requested Morty. So, here he is.

Quick history lesson. The Pokéathlon doesn't arrive till Heart Gold/Soul Silver. But if you go to the room beneath the stadium, you'll find a plaque about the history of the Pokéathlon. Therefore, even though the events are new, there must still be records of the historical event that triggered it.

Polaris –Ponyta, Rev–Porygon 2, Eon-Espeon, Uber, Umbreon

The Forest Shrine

"Let's go and do something."

I looked up from my book to find Ben standing next to me.

"Hm?"

"Come on. Let's get off this island. I've been here for too long and I need a break. I've been staring at computer screens for too long."

I snorted. "I believe it. Figured it would happen some day."

Ben made a face at me.

Rev, my Porygon 2, glided into the room. It was a few years ago that Ben had won me a Porygon from the Game Corner. Rev often helped Ben do tricky computer stuff by actually going INTO the computer.

Rev's head was drooping and he was barely a few inches from the ground.

"What did you do to him?" I scolded as Rev collapsed on my lap, exhausted.

"We were both working really hard on my latest assignment," Ben sighed, sinking onto the couch besides Rev and I. "There was a glitch in the system that made all of the black colors pink. So, Rev went in to help fix it. And then the whole screen turned different shades of magenta. I hate this new database system," he moaned, his head flopping back against the couch.

"Remind me again what this project's about?"

"Well, for a while I was helping Bill fix the Pokémon transport system. We were experimenting with ways to send trainers their Pokémon when they're not near an official transport system. You know, if they're not near a Pokémon Center, but they need to swap their Pokémon out? And then Professor Oak sent me some new data from the Pokémon at his lab. He needed some help organizing it and… that's when the computer went pink."

I snickered, but covered my mouth. "Sorry. I know you've been working hard. I'm just picturing the screen going pink… And how's that hatchery database going?"

"I uploaded the latest pictures," Ben said, blinking up at the ceiling. "We're getting close to a full record of what the different Pokémon eggs look like."

"I'm really excited," I said, scratching Rev's head. "The clone Nidoqueen and Rhyhorn each have some eggs they're looking after. And they have different patterns from normal Rhyhorn and Nidoran eggs."

"Yeah. I put those pictures in a separate file."

"Good idea. I don't think that they're something we should publicize. The clones, I mean."

"No kidding. Anyway, this is why I want to get off the island. Let's go somewhere."

I snapped my book shut and set it beside the couch. "Yeah. Let's go do something. Where do you want to go?"

"I haven't been to Johto in a while."

"How specific."

"First question," Ben said, "Are we bringing The Hari?" Yes, Ben calls him "The Hari." He pretended that Hari annoys him (which is true) but I'd caught Ben showing Hari pictures on the computer several times. Though Hari didn't know how to use the computer, he was fascinated by the pictures.

"Yeah. I think it's good for him to get out. Although he'd probably stay on Avalon forever if we let him."

"At least he's better with cities."

"Yeah. I mean, he's not afraid of them. It's entirely possible that he likes them a little too much."

"Ah. Point taken. Anyway, I wanted to go to Goldenrod. Do you want to go anywhere?"

"Ecruteak," I said suddenly. "I want to go to Ecruteak."

"Great. I'll pack and you go find The Hari."

I left Rev to sleep on the couch and headed outside.

Hari could usually be found in the forest across from the house. He still wouldn't sleep inside, which didn't bother me as long as he was comfortable.

I walked across the field, scanning the landscape for any nearby Pokémon. I saw a huge pink flower moving above the level of the grass. That must be the clone Venusaur. And Polaris and the herd of Ponyta were grazing a ways away. A pair of Rattata scurried past.

I'd need to decide which Pokémon to bring with me. After the incident with Pisky, I was reluctant to take any of the clones off of the island. I'd wait a while before I tried that again.

Polaris trotted over to me and I stroked her muzzle.

"Hey. I need to find Hari. Do you know where he is?"

She snorted and pointed her nose in the proper direction.

"Thanks. Wanna come to Johto with Ben, Hari and I?"

She bowed her head in agreement.

"Great. I'll bring Eon and Uber too, I guess." My Espeon and Umbreon. "I haven't taken them out in a while."

At the edge of the field, I climbed onto Polaris's back and she trotted off through the forest towards Hari. A few minutes later she stopped, but I couldn't see Hari anywhere. Then I looked up.

Hari was standing out on the very thinnest branches of the tree above.

"Those branches are gonna break," I said. I wasn't too concerned. Hari had proved that he was flawless at climbing.

He looked down at me and grinned. "I know. But Caterpie is stuck."

I looked again and saw Caterpie clinging to a small twig at the very end of the branch. It looked like he had dropped from the tree above and managed to catch himself. But his feet were slipping and he was about to fall.

I hopped off of Polaris's back and took a step towards the tree.

Hari shuffled his foot a few inches further from the trunk, shifting his hand to an even thinner branch above him. He was just a few feet away from Caterpie. He slid his foot a few inches further.

The branch cracked and Hari and Caterpie came tumbling to the ground.

"Waah!" I shouted, running over to them. Hari sat up, shaking twigs out of his hair. He grinned, holding Caterpie safely in his arms.

I rubbed my head. "Please don't do that. It may not hurt you, but it scares the heck out of me."

"OK. I'll be careful."

Butterfree fluttered down and landed beside us. She was one of the more unusual Pokémon on Avalon. Instead of having a purple body, she was pink.

"I got your baby back," Hari said, holding Caterpie out.

"Errrrrrrrrrrr,'" Caterpie said happily. Butterfree nuzzled Hari, who laughed.

"Hari, we're going back to Johto. Do you want to come?"

"Learn more?" he asked, standing up eagerly.

"Yeah. We're gonna learn more."

"Yeah! I'll come!"

"Cool. You can bring Gro too, if you want."

"Yep!"

…

And so, we made our way to Goldenrod by train from Saffron.

It was an improvement from the last such trip. This time at least, Hari didn't try to climb out of the train window as it was still in motion. And we were able to get a car with relatively few passengers so that Hari's climbing over the chairs bothered a minimal number of people. And then he fell asleep.

"Dude," Ben said as Hari and Gro slept in the chairs across from us. "And you say he was worse than this on the first train trip? How did you ever get him back to Avalon without setting off a nuclear explosion?"

"Good question," I sighed. "I should have brought my Venusaur and used Vine Whip to tie him to his chair."

"Or you could have just used Sleep Powder on him from the beginning," Ben noted.

"Yeah. He's cute when he's asleep too. When he's not falling out of trees and trying to give me a heart attack."

"You think everything's cute," Ben sniggered.

"Not everything," I said thoughtfully. "Grimer aren't really cute. And Gyarados are more cool that cute. Which brings up an interesting point. I don't hear guys call things cute too often. Is that like a gender difference? Do guys just not think things are cute, or do they just not call things cute? Is it a girl thing to call something cute?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he said, punching me lightly in the shoulder. I returned the gesture.

"So, what's in Goldenrod?" I asked. "Why did you want to stop here?"

"Oh, Bill said that he was in Goldenrod for a while, so I though I'd talk to him about how the transport system is coming along."

"I thought you wanted to get away from computer stuff for a while?" I groaned. "Your brains are going to be sucked into cyber space."

"I want to look around the city too," he said. "And we're going to Ecruteak also, aren't we?"

"Sure. But you're banned from the game corner."

He laughed. "Fine, fine. So, let's go to Ecruteak first. We can stop at Goldenrod on the way back."

…

From Goldenrod, we rode to Ecruteak. Hari, Gro and Ben rode on Tauros and I rode Polaris with Eon and Uber sitting with me.

"What's in Ecruteak?" Ben asked.

"Yeah!" Hari chimed in.

Ben was asking what I wanted to do there, while Hari, who had never been there, wanted to know what was exciting about the city.

"I dunno," I admitted. "I just thought I'd like to go there."

"Typical," Ben sighed in mock exasperation. "Just doing whatever you feel like."

"Well, it's near Goldenrod, and I thought we could visit the Bell Tower and the Burned Tower."

Ben looked startled. "Why?"

I didn't reply. I'd just been thinking about them recently. Plus it was a new place for Hari to visit. Well, there were several reasons, none of which were very solid.

We arrived at Ecruteak that evening and spent the night in the Pokémon Center. Luckily Hari was tired enough from the journey to fall asleep quickly instead of trying to climb up and sleep on the roof.

…

We walked through town the next morning, heading north to the towers. We headed towards the burned tower first, stopping outside to examine the exterior. The first story was relatively intact, though the top of it was crumbled and charred black.

It felt so sad somehow…

"It _is _you!"

We all turned to see Morty, the Ecruteak gym leader, walking up to us.

"Cara, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah. We came back to visit. This is Ben (he hadn't taken the gym challenge in Johto, and didn't know Morty) and Hari."

Hari went to move towards Morty, but I grabbed the back of his shirt to stop him. I didn't want him doing anything strange to the gym leader.

"Nice to meet you," Morty said.

"You too," Ben responded.

"That's not your little brother, is it?" Morty asked, looking at Hari.

"Well, not officially, but he sort of fills that role," I admitted.

Hari grinned broadly.

Morty looked up at the Burned Tower.

"Did you come to pay your respects?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"You know the history about the tower, right?" Morty asked.

"Some of it," I agreed. "But Hari doesn't."

Morty nodded. "This is one of two towers in Ecruteak. The Tin Tower is still standing. It's said to be the perch of Ho-Oh, though he's never returned since the Brass Tower burned down."

I looked to the east where the Tin Tower could be seen in the distance, standing tall against the sky. So, Ho-Oh used to roost in that tower.

"This is what's left of the Brass Tower," Morty continued. "They think it got struck by lightning about 150 years ago. The Brass Tower was where a second legendary bird used to live, but it flew away when its home burned down."

Another legendary bird besides Ho-Oh. Lugia, maybe?

"They say that three Pokémon burned to death in the fire. But then Ho-Oh came and brought them back to life."

So, Lugia fled when the tower burned down, and Ho-oh left after bring the three Pokémon back to life.

"Hey," Ben said suddenly. "I just remembered. Someone told me that they're planning on building an arena near the National Park between here and Goldenrod. They said that it's to commemorate something that a trainer did a long time ago. Do you know what that's about?"

"Where'd you hear that?" I asked, surprised.

"Bill mentioned it over the phone," Ben admitted. "Since we're talking about history, I was interested in hearing what the new stadium was commemorating. Bill didn't know much about it yet."

Morty looked thoughtful. "I did hear about that. Let's see. I don't know any of the details. But a long time ago, a strange disease began to spread on an island not far from Johto. One human along with three Pokémon traveled across the island, going through obstacles in order to spread the word about the cure."

I was only half paying attention. My mind had returned the Tin and Brass Towers, now called the Bell Tower and Burned Tower.

Hari was listening, cocking his head back and forth. Then he turned back to the Burned Tower and walked inside with Gro. I turned back to Ben, who was still talking to Morty, and then followed Hari inside. Eon and Uber followed.

I'd been in here once before, when I journeyed through Ecruteak. I hadn't paid too much attention to the tower though. Most of the ceiling was missing, letting the afternoon light pour in. A big section of the floor had been knocked out so you could see down into a lower level. The beams, walls, and remainder of the floor were scorched and charred black. Parts of the collapsed wall were still scattered around this level.

Hari was sitting on top of a fallen pillar, looking around curiously. Gro was crouched beside him.

"Fire did this?" Hari asked.

"Yeah. This is all that's left."

Hari placed his hand on the blackened wall.

"It's sad," he said.

"It is," I agreed.

At that instant, something large flashed past the patch of sky above us. We snapped our heads up, but the thing was already gone.

My Espeon hopped up onto a pile of rubble, and then up to the remainder of the roof. He jumped back down and shook his head.

Hari remained staring skyward for several moments.

"Did you see what it was?" I asked.

He shook his head.

"Let's go outside and see if Ben saw it."

Hari didn't answer for a moment. Then he nodded and followed me outside.

But Ben and Morty were still talking. It didn't look as though anything unusual had happened.

"Ben," I called, "Did you see anything just now?"

"What?" He called back.

"Hmm. Nothing."

…

The next morning, Ben, Hari and I rode back to Goldenrod to meet with Bill. Again, Hari and Gro were riding with Ben. Eon and Uber sat on my lap.

Hari was oddly silent and still. He was looking off into the trees, his eyes slightly glazed as though his mind was elsewhere.

We were about half way between Ecruteak and the National Park before he said anything.

"I hear something."

A moment later, Polaris and Tauros pricked up their ears and stopped walking. Gro, Eon and Uber tensed slightly. We all turned to look behind us.

"Something big," Hari added. He didn't sound nervous , but Tauros stomped nervously beneath and Polaris snorted softly.

That was when I heard it too. Something off in the forest, crashing through the trees. It was getting louder.

A moment later, something exploded out of the bushes and soared over us, landing across the trail. Polaris and Tauros reared in fright as the thing wheeled around to face us. I grabbed the reigns to try to stop myself from falling off. And then I saw the Pokémon in front of me.

I'd seen its picture only in books. Books about the legends of Johto, with stylized drawings of three beasts. And now Entei was facing me, his mane billowing and his jaws open wide.

He took a step towards me, giving a low growl. Behind us, Tauros's tails thrashed in agitation. But Polaris lowered her head, holding her ground.

_Why are you here? _Entei demanded. 

"What?" I said in a very small voice.

_How did you get here? _Entei demanded.

"I-I don't know what you mean."

_Your name is Cara. _

I blinked, startled. "That's right."

_How did you get here? _

"We were… just passing through from Ecruteak."

Entei stared at me for a minute. _You live now? _

"What?" I mean, I sure wasn't dead, if that's what he was asking…

Entei stared at me a minute longer.

_Go to the shrine in Ilex forest. Go now. _

And he turned and disappeared into the forest.

We were silent, staring at the spot where Entei had vanished.

I turned to Ben and Hari.

"I'm going. I'm going to the shrine in the forest."

Before they could say another word, Polaris wheeled around and took off at a gallop. Eon and Uber braced themselves against the sudden speed.

It took Ben a moment to urge Tauros forwards too. But Tauros wasn't as fast as Polaris, and they were falling behind.

_You're going through with this? _Polaris asked.

_Well, I figure if a legendary Pokémon tells you to do something, then you should do it._

_What about Ben and Hari? _

_They'll catch up. Entei sounded like he wanted me to hurry. _

_Very well. _

Polaris quickened her pace and we rushed past the National Park and through Goldenrod. I could still see Tauros far behind us on the trail when we entered the Ilex Forest.

Polaris wound through the shaded trails, her side heaving and her nostrils flaring as she ran on.

And finally she slowed to a trot, and then came to a halt, breathing hard.

In front of us, to the side of the path, was a simple wooden shrine. It was shaped something like a tiny house with a small pair of doors in the front. A small plaque proclaimed this a shrine to the forest's protector.

I slid off of Poolaris's back and Eon and Uber jumped to the ground.

I hesitated, then reached out and tried to pull the doors to the shrine open. But they stayed shut.

I sighed and leaned against the shrine. Polaris looked at me and I shrugged.

"I dunno. I'm here I guessss…"

I trailed off, staring at the trees around me. From the left, the fight, and the front, three pairs of eyes were staring at me. Polaris whirled around and laid her ears flat. Eon and Uber growled.

A bright light burst to life behind me. I spun to face the shrine. The doors had opened and light was pouring out into the forest. I stepped back as something came out of the shrine and floated in front of me.

At that moment, Ben and Hari rode up and froze in shock.

The small figure before me became clearer. I saw a green body, antenna, and a pair of tiny wings.

"Biiiiiiiiiiiiiii!" it called, floating just above my head.

I threw my arms over my face as the light engulfed me, blinding me. The ground vanished fro beneath my feet, leaving me suspended in the air. I automatically kicked out, searching for a place to put my feet. For several moments I hung there in a whirling vortex of color and brightness. Then the light faded and I felt something solid beneath my feet. I swayed, and then toppled sideways. I don't even remember hitting the ground.


	21. The Stone Sickness

So, back to the Pokéathlon. The room beneath the stadium tells you just a couple things. First of all, a human and three Pokémon spread news of a cure throughout an island. What island? I haven't the faintest idea. And then it says that they found the cure by looking up at the sky. Again, very vague. So, I's gonna take advantage of that vagueness!

The Stone Sickness

How long had I been asleep? I could tell that I was laying face-down on grass. That by itself was a sure sign that something wasn't right.

I was afraid to open my eyes. I was clinging to the possibility that Ben and Hari were still with me. If I opened my eyes, I would see for sure that I was alone.

I finally opened my eyes to see the grass surrounding me. I lifted my head to find myself alone in the forest. I was exactly where I'd been when I'd fainted: in Ilex Forest, in front of the shrine.

But then what had happened to Ben, Hari, and my Pokémon?

I felt something move against my arm and looked down.

There was a Pokémon snuggled in the crook of my elbow, fast asleep. I recognized it immediately from the research I'd done on legendaries. Celebi, the same Pokémon that had appeared out of the shrine before I passed out. Why was she sleeping next to me?

I lowered my head back to the ground again. What do I do?

_Polaris, can you hear me? Where are you? _

No reply. None whatsoever. OK.

_Eon? Uber? Can you hear me? _

Still nothing. With growing panic, I called out the names of several more of my Pokémon, but there was no reply from any of them.

I gave a little shudder. I guess what I'd read about in books had actually happened. Celebi can travel through time. As much as I didn't want to believe it, that was the only logical answer. I was in a time when none of my Pokémon existed.

So, _when_ was I?

Next to me, Celebi stirred and sat up. I pushed myself up to my knees and faced her.

_You're awake, _Celebi said, smiling.

"Oh. Yes. Yes I am."

_Sorry about that. Taking you through time, I mean. The strain of it can often knock people out. But Raikou, Suicune, and Entei told me how important it was for me to bring you. _

My head was ringing faintly. "Right. I met with Entei. So, those three Pokémon around the shrine, that was Raikou, Suicune, and Entei?"

_Yes. They were all there waiting for you. _

"So, why _were _they waiting for me? Why did they want you to take me through time?"

_I can't tell you much about the past, _Celebi said regretfully. _I can't risk disrupting the flow of time. But we are about a century and a half before your lifetime. _

That made me feel rather dizzy. I didn't even exist yet, and neither did anyone I knew. How weird was _that _to think about? I sunk my head into my hands.

_Are you okay? _

"I'm just trying to wrap my head around this," I muttered. "So, tell me if I'm right. Entei saw me in my present time. He asked me if I live now. So, he was referring to this time travel stuff. And the three legendary cats or dogs or whatever they are wanted me to come back in time. So, there's something I have to do here, but you can't tell me what it is because that might change the way the future unfolds. Am I right?"

_Sounds good to me. _She smiled and fluttered her wings to hover in front of me.

Changing the future. There had been a movie about that. A boy travels back in time and almost destroys his own existence… I shuddered. Time was not something that I wanted to mess with. It sounded far too scary to me.

_One more thing, _she added. _Suicune, Raikou and Entei haven't met you yet. And I guess you haven't really met them either. I asked Suicune to meet us here. She should be here any moment. She only agreed to come because it's the only way for this to work. _

"When am I going to find out what 'this' is?"

_When you get to town, someone will explain what's going on, _Celebi promised. _We need something that you have. And of course, I'll send you home when you're done. _

Well, I wouldn't refuse help to a Pokémon, but these circumstances made it impossible to refuse.

"Yeah. Sure. Okay. I'll help."

Celebi smiled. _Thanks! Your name's Cara, right? _

"Yeah."

_I know this is all pretty strange to you. Thanks for putting up with it. You'll understand why we need your help._

"I don't mind too much. I just wish you'd warned me beforehand."

_Your friends were coming. We didn't have much time. _

"Any reason they were left behind?"

_Only because it's harder to carry multiple people through time. And you're one of the few people around who can talk to Pokémon. That, and one of your friends put in a word for you. _

"Friends?"

_You'll find out soon enough. Oh, here's Suicune! _

I looked up to see a blue Pokémon stepping out of the forest, her purple mane billowing out behind her. Suicune examined me, looking unimpressed.

_This is the one you think will help? _Suicune asked Celebi.

Celebi nodded, floating over to Suicune. _That's right. It's good of you to come and help, Suicune. We'll need all of you if we want to get through this. _

Suicune stomped a foot. _ I'm not crazy about the idea, but I'm not heartless enough to let this go on unhindered. _Suicune turned to me. _You can speak to Pokémon, correct? _

I nodded.

_Very well. I will take you to the first stage of the plan. From there we will meet up with the others and take the next step. _

She turned sideways, offering her back to me. She wanted me to ride her. As awesome as that was, I hesitated. That big flowing mane seemed to be in the way.

I swung up into place, pushing the mane to the side.

_Do you have experience riding? _Suicune asked.

"Well, I ride Ponyta and Rapidash a lot."

_Bareback? _

"Usually, yeah."

_Good. That simplifies matters. Hold on. _

_Bye bye! _Celebi called, hovering over the shrine and waving.

I started to wave back, but Suicune suddenly leapt forwards and I had to wrap my arms around her neck to stop from falling off.

This was very different from riding Ponyta. Suicune moved in long bounding strides very different from the gait of a horse.

Once I was sure that I wasn't going to fall off, I looked up to see the trees flashing past in a blur. Suicune wasn't taking the trail, but instead was winding expertly through the trees.

Barely a minute later, the forest opened up. It took a while before I recognized the route between Ilex and Goldenrod. It looked different than usual. Of course, 150 years separated this time from when I'd last been here.

Then Goldenrod City came into view, but it looked nothing like the city of pavement and skyscrapers that I'd passed no more than a day ago. The houses were made of wood and no more than a few stories tall. I didn't get much chance to look at it because Suicune swerved off of the road to skirt around the city. Apparently Goldenrod was not our destination.

Suicune flew north, in the direction of Ecruteak. The journey was even faster than it had been with Polaris. As fast as she was, my Ponyta couldn't compare to a legendary.

We were almost to Ecruteak. When Suicune circled around the town, I though that we were passing this city too.

Suicune looped back around the city, keeping in the trees. I tried to keep my bearings as she changed directions. We seemed to have circled up behind Ecruteak. I thought I knew where we were, so when we stopped and I found myself facing a tall tower, I was completely disoriented. Wasn't the Tin Tower further east?

I turned east to see a second, identical tower standing there as well.

Then I understood. The tower in front of me was the Brass Tower. It hadn't burned down yet.

We looked south of the tower. There was the town of Ecruteak. The town was perhaps a little smaller than I remembered, but the architecture of the buildings was similar. There was even a gym in the same place as I remembered, though it was a completely different building and not "modern" in my sense of the word.

_You can get off now, _Suicune said. I slid off of her back and she turned to face me. _Listen to the gossip around town. Once you know what's going on, come and find us. We'll be waiting in the Brass Tower. _

Before I could ask what she meant, she bounded to the second-level tier of roof and slid in through the window.

"Uh… great. OK. Listen to gossip." I turned back towards the town and shuffled out from behind the Brass Tower. I froze. Suicund had said "we'll be waiting." Did that mea that Raikou and Entei were there as well?

I turned to look back at the tower and my foot caught on a stone. I flailed wildly and crashed to the ground.

"Ouch," I muttered, sitting up and rubbing my back.

"Are you OK?"

I turned to see a boy walking towards me. I froze. He looked… like Morty. A young Morty, barely older than me. But that couldn't be right. This had to be one of Morty's ancestors.

I pushed myself to my feet. "Yeah. I'm fine. I just tripped."

"Caught up in looking at the towers," He asked, smiling.

"Oh, yeah, I was."

"Do you know about them?" he asked.

"Well, only a little." What I knew was that one of them was going to burn down some day. I obviously couldn't say that.

He brightened, eager to impart his wisdom on the topic. "See, this one here is the Brass Tower. And the matching one over there is the Tin Tower. The Brass Tower is the perch of the legendary Ho-Oh and the Tin Tower is where Lugia roosts. Most people aren't allowed above the first few stories so we don't disturb them. My dad took me up once, but Ho-Oh wasn't there at the time. My name's Mark by the way."

"I'm Cara," I replied, looking up towards the highest rooftop of the tower.

"Did you come to see them?" he asked politely.

"Well, partly," I admitted. "I'm also here…" I trailed off. I didn't know how to finish that sentence. I cast around frantically for something to say that would make sense and help me figure out what was going on. "…Here to figure out what happened since I last heard the news," I blurted.

"Oh," he said, his face falling. "I can see why you'd want to know that."

"Uh, right. I was away, so I didn't hear what had happened recently."

"Well, I'm afraid that it's only gotten worse."

This conversation was getting worse too. The way he replied definitely told me that something was wrong, and the boy obviously thought I knew what the problem was. So, I didn't have a clue what he was talking about. I'd need to catch on quick if I didn't want to look like a total idiot.

"They still haven't found a cure," the boy continued. "I think everyone on Cianwood is sick now, and it's spreading to a lot of the Pokémon. They had to quarantine the island to protect everyone on the mainland.

My jaw dropped. A disease spreading on Cianwood? "Do they know what the disease is?"

"No. No one knows anything about it."

"And it effects both people and Pokémon? I've never heard of anything like that." My mind worked furiously. Was this disease the reason I'd been sent here? Did Celebi think that I had the knowledge to cure the disease?

"Do you know what it does to the people who are sick?" I asked, hoping I'd recognize some symptom. But what did I know about medicine? I knew a little about healing herbs for my Pokémon, but I didn't know a thing about human medicine…

"I don't know about that," Mark admitted. "My dad's been telling me some of what he hears. He's the gym leader, see? So he's been learning what he can about it. They send him updates by Pidgey. I didn't ask about the symptoms though. Are you researching the disease?" he asked hopefully.

I jolted to my senses when I realized he was asking me a question. "I know someone who is," I said lamely.

"Do you want to come talk to my dad?" Mark asked. "He can tell you what you want to know."

I thought for a minute. Suicune had only told me to listen to gossip, not do a whole investigation. Still, if there was some chance I could help, I should learn as much as I could.

"Yeah. That's a good idea."

…

It was dark by the time I headed back to the Brass Tower. Mark's Dad had invited me to spend the night, but I'd declined. I wanted to get back to Suicune.

Mark's dad had told me a lot about the disease, how it drained people and Pokémon of energy and made their limbs stiff. They were wracked by coughs and lost their appetite. Some people had even died of fatigue and lack of nutrition.

They called it the stone sickness, because people became stiff and rather cold and they had the harsh cough like stones grinding together.

I slipped into the Brass Tower. It was pitch black inside. I had no idea where to look for Suicune.

"I'm back," I called.

Up above me, a little light flickered to life. It revealed a set of stairs leading up to the second level and the source of the light.

I picked my way towards the stairs and carefully walked up them so I wouldn't fall over again. I reached the second story to see a tiger-like Pokémon standing in front of me, sparking slightly to create the electricity that had lit my way. Raikou.

Suicune and Entei were lying against the wall, watching me.

Then it hit me like a ton of bricks. With these three legendary Pokémon in front of me, I finally understood what it all meant. I had been talking about it with Morty such a short time ago! It was so obvious now that I thought about it!

It was about the new stadium under construction next to the National Park. It was in honor of a group that had traveled across an island to spread news about the cure to a disease. The news had been spread by a trainer and three Pokémon.


	22. Finding the Cure

I actually came up with this idea before the "Guardian Signs" Ranger game came out. I was shocked when I saw that you'd have to ride Raikou, Entei, and Suicune through different obstacles. That was exactly what I had in mind for my fanfic!

Another thing. How would you ride the three legendary cats/dogs? All of them have those big manes. The games show you sitting right on top of the manes. The 4th Pokémon movie had Suicune's mane off to the side. That seems more logical.

And about Cianwood, it was the only Island near Johto. I'm gonna give it more people than it has in the game for plot purposes.

Finding the Cure

I stood there stupidly at the top of the stairs, looking at Suicune, Raikou, and Entei.

So, this was it then. I'd been brought here to spread the cure of this disease.

Suicune and Entei stood up.

_Did you hear what you needed to? _Suicune asked.

"Yeah. Yeah, I learned about the Stone Sickness. But I still don't know why I'm here," I said, sinking my head into my hands. "If you wanted someone from the future to help, you should have brought a doctor! I don't know anything about medicine. I even left my pack behind, so I don't have any of the Pokémon medicine I usually carry around."

Raikou, Suicune, and Entei looked at me,

_Celebi said that you were the one we needed to fix this, _Raikou told me.

"I mean… I want to help. I just don't know what to do."

_We should save these questions until we talk to the last person who offered to help us, _Entei replied. _Just because you don't know the answers yet doesn't mean that you won't be of help. _

_Do you want to get some sleep? _Suicune asked.

"I won't be able to fall asleep. Not with my brain exploding in my head."

_That sounds painful, _Raikou noted.

I gave a small snort of laughter.

_Then should we continue on now? _Suicune asked.

"You mean to the next part of the quest, or something?"

They nodded.

"Yeah. Okay. Let's do that."

Entei stepped over to me and offered his back. I swung into place and held on around Entei's neck. Raikou and Suicune bounded out of the window, and Entei followed, his powerful body launching itself through the opening and sailing into the night sky. I held on tightly, but Entei's landing was smooth.

And then the four of us took of through the forest again. It was so dark out that I couldn't see anything that we passed. I only caught occasional glances of the stars and moon above the trees. I didn't know which direction we were going, or how far we'd gone. And I could barely hear Suicune and Raikou beside us. I kept myself pressed low to Entei's back so there would be no chance of a branch whacking me in the head.

_Where are we going? _I asked.

_Olivine City,_ Entei replied.

_On the way to Cianwood? _

_That's right, _Entei agreed. _And there's one more person there that we have to find. _

_A human or a Pokémon? _

_A Pokémon. A legendary, like us. _

I fell silent, thinking about this. Which legendary could it be? I shivered a bit from the cold night air and hugged myself closer to Entei's warm body. His mane covered me like a toasty blanket. This was actually very nice. Feeling the fluid motion of the lion Pokémon beneath me, surrounded by comfortable warmth. I spent the rest of the trip that way until I felt Entei slowing down.

I sat up and looked around. My eyes were adjusted to the dark, so I could tell that we were in a small grassy field right up against the ocean. I could hear the waves crashing on the small cliff between water and field.

I slid onto the cool grass. Raikou, Suicune, and Entei lay down around me. I sat down against Entei's side and yawned. I wasn't sure how late it was.

"Are we waiting for someone?"

_No, _Raikou replied. _She's here now. _

I looked around and saw a dark shape pass in front of the stars. I squinted, but it was impossible to tell if it was a big Pokémon that was far away, or a small Pokémon that was close.

Then quite suddenly I found a face staring directly at me. I pushed myself back against Entei, startled.

And then a bright glow lit up the clearing. Floating in front of me, using Flash was…

"Mew!" I exclaimed excitedly.

Mew cocked her head in confusion and I remembered that this was over a century before we had met.

_Hi, _Mew said brightly. _Nice to meet you. _

I hesitated. I couldn't tell her about the future. About how she befriended me when I started my Pokémon journey. So instead I said, "Yeah. It's nice to meet you."

_Celebi said could help us, right? _

"Well," I said slowly, "I don't know how much help I'll be."

_Why not? _

"I don't know how to cure the disease."

_You might know more than you think,_ Raikou encouraged.

_We already know that you're helpful in several areas, _Entei agreed.

_Yes, _Suicune continued. _You can talk to Pokémon, you have knowledge of topics pertaining to the future, and you're immune to the disease. _

"Wait, I'm immune to the disease?"

Mew nodded. _Yes. According to Celebi, the people from the future have built up an immunity to the strain of disease. You can safely wander Cianwood without fear of getting sick yourself. _

"I'm definitely glad to hear that," I said, rubbing my head. The Stone Sickness didn't sound like anything I wanted to get myself. "But how can I help spread the cure? Unless you already know the cure and just need me to translate for you?"

_We don't know the cure, _Suciune said flatly.

_Why don't you tell us what you know about medicine in general? _Entei suggested.

"Medicine," I replied, letting my head fall back against Entei so that I was looking up at the stars. "Well, I know that a lot of the symptoms that you get when you're sick are actually your body's reaction to the virus or whatever you have. Like if you have a cold, the reason you get a sore throat is because your body has to kill some of its own throat cells to get rid of the virus, or something like that. And then a lot of medicines are designed to treat the symptoms, not the root of the problem. But it would take a real expert to figure out the actual root of the Stone Sickness."

_I'd say you know quite a bit about it, _Raikou said, nodding.

"Only the theories behind it. But human medicine is really different from Pokémon medicine. Usually for Pokémon you just need to worry about poisoning, burns, paralysis, and that sort of stuff. I didn't even bring _that_ medicine with me. I don't know a thing about when a Pokémon gets sick like a human. And this disease affects both humans and Pokémon…"

_What about Pokémon? _Mew asked, landing in front of us. _Do you know any Pokémon that can heal? Especially if they're from far away and we don't know about them here? _

"I know the most about Kanto and Johto Pokémon." I fell silent. I ran through a list of Pokémon in my brain. I wished I had my Pokédex with me. That would make things easier.

"I know Shuckle can make berry juice, which is useful for healing. But you have Shuckle in Johto."

_They tried that, _Mew sighed.

"Bayleef leaves are supposed to make you feel better. Miltank Milk is good for you. And I think Celebi can heal some things."

_Bayleef and Miltank aren't strong enough, and Celebi are mainly able to heal physical injuries, like sprains and such. _

I continued thinking. I ran through every Pokémon I could remember. Most of the exotic Pokémon I knew about lived on Avalon. And none of the Pokémon I'd ever seen had any healing powers besides recovery from simple status problems. I must have sat there for a very long time, wracking my brain. The four legendaries around me waited silently, not wanting to distract me.

No Pokémon I had ever seen… but then what about the ones I hadn't seen? The Pokémon that I'd read about but never seen mainly included legendaries. I started mentally scanning through the legendary Pokémon I'd read about in books. I didn't think that the legendary birds could do anything like that. The legendary dogs obviously couldn't or they would have done so already. But even in the realm of legend, I couldn't think of anything that might work. Unless…

"Wait," I said, sitting up. "Wait. I just thought. There's this legendary Pokémon called Shaymin. It knows a move called Aromatherapy. I've heard that it can cure injuries beyond the basic ones. Can we find a Shaymin? I don't know where they live. I've only read about them in books."

_I've met a Shaymin once, _Mew said. _But I didn't know about that Aromatherapy thing. _

"Do you think you can find the Shaymin again?" I asked hopefully.

_I have an even better idea than that, _Mew said, winking.

She glowed brighter for a moment and began to change shape. A moment later, a Shaymin was standing in front of me, a small white and green hedgehog.

Mew had transformed. Now she could use Aromatherapy herself!

This might just work…


	23. Obstacles

So, when I'm on vacation, I lose all sense of time. It's very nice, actually. But I completely forgot about my fanfic this weekend. Heheh. Although it was a holiday weekend, so I guess it's kinda excusable. Luckily I remembered today.

Oh. The reason I went with Shaymin and Aromatherapy. I racked my brains (with some help from one of my readers – thanks!) and Shaymin was the best thing I could come up with. My excuse is that in the Shaymin/Giratina movie Shaymin uses her magic to stop Giratina from dying. So, yeah. That works for me.

Obstacles

It was hard to get to sleep that night with my brain full of plans for Cianwood Island. I especially dwelled on what little I knew about Shaymin and thoughts of Aromatherapy.

Other Pokémon besides Shaymin can learn Aromatherapy. I knew that. But as far as I knew, Pokémon in Johto didn't naturally learn that move. It was restricted to other regions. Mew could transform into other Pokémon, but then she wouldn't be in Shaymin form. Besides, Shaymin might have a more potent attack than any non-legendary Pokémon that used the same move.

So, either way, we'd probably have to visit each individual sick person on the island.

It wouldn't be easy.

The next morning, we gathered our group together. Mew was in her normal form until she needed to use Shaymin's powers.

_The island is quarantined, _Suicune informed us.

_All traffic in and out of the island is severly restricted, _Entei continued.

_Even doctors are afraid to go to the island for fear of getting the sickness themselves. Though some doctors are working day and night among the sick to try to cure them, _Raikou concluded.

_Luckily, _Mew said, doing a backflip, _We have a better way of getting to the island. _

"Teleport?" I asked.

_Yep! Get ready to go! _

And our surroundings vanished. A moment later, the world appeared again. We seemed to be at the top of a small mountain. Off in the distance in every direction was ocean. We were at the summit of the island. I could see Cianwood City along the coast. There were a few other towns scattered through the trees and cliffs as well.

Mew landed on my shoulder. Suicune, Raikou, and Entei raised their heads to the air and sniffed.

_The air smells sick, _Suicune said, snorting as if to dispel the stench from her nose.

_We'll have to find someone to test the cure on, _Entei noted.

"Wait," I said, realizing something. "What about the four of you? What if you get sick?"

_My magic's protecting them, _Mew assured me. _We'll be fine. _

"Um, Okay. Yeah. Let's find someone to cure."

_You may ride me, _Raikou said, offering his back.

"Thanks." I climbed on, still holding Mew.

The three dogs set off at a trot down the hill. We found ourselves moving along the base of a slanting rocky cliff. Some of the boulders seemed very unstable. I kept an uneasy eye on the rocks in case one of them should be shifted loose.

That's when I saw the Onix and Graveler. As we passed, they turned to look at us. There was something strange about their expressions. They looked anxious and antsy.

I pointed them out to Mew.

_We should be careful, _Mew whispered. _All of the Pokémon on the island are really fidgety right now. They know the sickness is going around. They'll try to keep strangers away for fear of getting sick. _

"But we have to find the ones that are sick, right?" I asked. "How do we find the sick ones if we're worried about getting attacked?"

_We can smell it, _Suicune replied. _We'll sniff out anyone who needs the cure. _

"Does anyone on that hill need it?"

Suicune shook her head.

_The Pokémon of the mountain here have defended their home well, _Entei explained.

_All the more reason we should be careful, _Raikou growled.

Raikou, who was leading the way, suddenly swerved to the side. I grabbed onto his neck for support and looked down at the ground to see what he had tried to avoid. It didn't take me long to realize that the rock in the path was actually a Geodude.

"Uh-oh…" What if they thought we were threatening one of their young?

One of the Graveler above us roared out in anger and lifted a boulder, ready to throw it.

"Look out!" I shouted.

They didn't need me to tell them. Raikou, Suicune, and Entei took off like a shot. Mew's psychic powers were the only thing that kept me from flying off of Raikou's back.

I threw myself forwards and wrapped my arms around Raikou's neck as the ground turned into a blur beneath us. Mew sat in my lap, clinging to my shirt.

I looked up to see a gauntlet of Graveler, Golem, and Onix above us, raising boulders to hurl or striking the ground to dislodge floods of stone.

Suddenly Raikou lurched as he bounded up into the air over a slab of rock that had crashed down in front of us. Another boulder came flying at us. Raikou, already airborne, could not dodge. I flinched, expecting us to collide. But Raikou sprang off of the flying rock, using it to gain more height. Below us, Suicune and Entei were ducking and weaving around the flying bits of earth.

Raikou touched down beside his comrades. Above and in front of us, a Steelix dislodged an overhang of dirt and rocks. The rockslide surged down the slope, gathering momentum and size as it bore down on us. Raikou, Suicune, and Entei skidded to a halt as it crashed to the ground, blocking the pathway.

"What now?" I shouted as rocks crashed down on all sides.

_Stand back, _Entei bellowed.

Raikou and Suicune took several steps back. Suicune took the opportunity to blast a boulder out of the air with Aurora Beam.

Entei lowered his head and charged the pile of rubble. Dirt sprayed in all directions, leaving a passable gap. The three dogs quickly bounded through it and we found ourselves face-to-face with a surprised Rhyhorn.

For a moment he stared at us. Then the surprise wore off and he charged. Entei jumped ahead of us and rooted his paws, bracing himself. He used his shoulder to take the force of Rhyhorn's charge, and as Rhyhorn was thrown off balance, Entei pushed himself forwards, using his leverage to knock Rhyhorn out of the way. Rhyhorn tumbled to his back and struggled to right himelf. We took the opportunity to escape, turning the corner and leaving the dangerous slope behind. We came to a halt beneath the safety of the forest.

I sat up, my heart drumming against my ribs. "Aww, man," I moaned. "I'm glad we don't have to go up there to heal anyone. Couldn't you have attacked them, Mew? Driven them away?"

_They're only trying to protect themselves, _Mew said shrugging. _It's kept them safe so far. _

"Right. OK. So, where do we go now?"

_We need to test the cure on a wild Pokémon before we offer to help the city, _Entei said, sighing and shaking his head. _It wouldn't do if the cure isn't all we hope. _

"Yeah. Good point."

_I can smell it, _Suicune said. _They're close. Those who are sick. It smells like several of them in one area. Perhaps they clustered together. _

_Safety in numbers, I suppose, _Raikou muttered.

"That makes things easier for us," I said.

_There are still some scattered individuals however, _Suicune said. _But yes. It is fortunate that many of them are gathered together. _

_I can heal the group all at once! _Mew exclaimed.

We walked on at a slower pace to let Raikou, Suicune, and Entei get their breath back after the unexpected attack.

Eventually we came to a small, cool grotto surrounded by mossy stones. A small pool burbled in its center.

And there they were: a small huddle of Pokémon curled miserably against the edge of the grotto. Flaaffy, Phanpy, Teddiursa, Hoppip, Sunkern, and Poliwag. They all seemed rather flushed and barely looked up as we came into view.

Sympathy welled up in me. They looked so hopeless lying there, stiff and torn by fits of coughing. They didn't think there was anything that could help them.

And now I could smell the Stone Sickness, a sort of dry, bitter scent that made me want to gag. I didn't envy the three dogs for having such a keen sense of smell.

Mew floated over to the sick Pokémon and landed, transforming into the small Shaymin. She took a deep breath and began to glow with a bright green-gold light. The power radiated out from her body in waves, spreading over the sick Pokémon and soaking into them. Then the light faded and the bodies of the sick Pokémon relaxed. The coughing subsided, and they closed their eyes in a deep, healing sleep.

Shaymin-Mew walked back to us, and I scooped her up in my arms.

"Did it work?"

_I think so. They'll be able to rest and regain their strength now. _

My eyes fell on the pool of water and I realized something.

"Hey, do we know how the disease spreads?"

_Mostly through touch, I think, _Entei said.

"Could it spread through the water?" I asked. "Even if we cure all of the sick people, what if the disease remains in the water? It could come up again, even after we heal everyone! That might also explain why the mountain Pokémon weren't sick yet. Their water source was high enough not to be contaminated."

Suicune turned to look at me. _That's a point. _

"And what about the air?" I asked. "Some diseases can survive for a short time in the air, or on surfaces that were touched by a sick person. That could be a problem in heavily populated areas where someone might touch or inhale the stuff that was left by someone else.

_I can take care of the water, _Suicune said. _I'll purify all of the streams and ponds as we travel. _

_And the air, _Mew exclaimed, _I know that Shaymin have the ability to purify the air around them. That might be a good thing to do in the cities. _

"Then let's make our way there. And we'll stop and find all the sick Pokémon on the way."

_I should do this first, _Suicune said.

Her body shone like crystal, and she sprang into the air, touching down on the surface of the water. The liquid surface was as a solid to her. She could walk on water. And it didn't take long for the water to be sparkling and pure.

Suicune landed beside us again, shaking herself off a bit. _Come, then. There's no time to waste. _

And we were off again, rushing towards the smell of the Stone Sickness. We found several more huddles of Pokémon, as well as scattered individuals. Suicune paused to purify all of the streams and ponds on the island.

As we moved on, I switched riding Suicune, Raikou, and Entei to give them breaks from carrying me. Shaymin-Mew continued to use Aromatherapy, but after several uses, it was obvious that the the high-energy move was beginning to take its toll on her.

_I think I'll be fine, _Mew mumbled as I picked her up again. _I'd better sleep some between healings though so I can regain some of my strength. I won't be able to protect you though if… _she trailed off and was snoozing in my arms a moment later. I held her in one arm and gripped Suicune's horn with my free hand. We were off again.

And then there was a sick Weedle at the very top of a tree. I would have climbed up myself, but the lowest branch was far above my reach.

_I'll jump up and you grab the Weedle, Okay? _Suicune asked.

I nodded and placed Shaymin-Mew Raikou's back so both my hands would be free. I griped Suicune tightly with my knees, hoping I'd be able to keep from falling off as I reached for Weedle.

Suicune sprang straight up in the air, angling herself so she came up directly beneath Weedle. My hands closed on his stiff body and I carried him back down to the ground.

_You might as well bring Weedle along, _Entei suggested. _We can heal Weedle alongside the next Pokémon we find so Mew doesn't have to use Aromatherapy as much. _

Weedle hardly even seemed to notice that he'd been pulled from his tree.

But I was very glad that Mew's magic was protecting the three dogs from the sickness. I was uncomfortable with the Weedle so close to them. Not to mention I was glad to be immune to the disease myself.

_We're almost to the city, _Entei said as we continued once again.

I nodded. "We should try to get as many people within the range of Aromatherapy as possible. The less Mew has to use it, the better since it drains so much energy out of her.

At long last, our group left the forest and found itself in Cianwood City.

The streets were almost completely deserted. But there was one man – a doctor, it looked like – in a full protective suit and mask. He turned and stared at us as we appeared.

No doubt we were a strange sight.

"Quick," I shouted. "We know how to cure the Stone Sickness! We need to gather as many people together as possible!"


	24. Lightning, Fire, and Rain

I always kind of wonder if I'd be brave enough to do something like what Cara does at the end of the chapter. I guess you never really know until disaster is staring you in the face…

Lightning, Fire, and Rain

I slid shakily off of Suicune's back as the town doctor stared at me.

My legs were wobbly from the fast-paced journey around the island, and I wanted to sit down on a normal chair, but there was no time for that.

"Where are the patients kept?" I asked the doctor.

He stared at our strange group for a minute before slowly approaching me.

"Are-are you real?" He asked, his voice muffled through his protective mask.

"Uh, yeah. I'm real."

"I was sure I was seeing things," the doctor said weakly, massaging his temples. He looked incredibly tired with dark circles under his eyes. He must have been working nights to try to help the people here. No wonder he thought he was seeing things. "You-you know of a cure?"

I nodded.

"Very well," he said after a small pause. "This way."

Raikou, Suicune, and Entei waited at the edge of town as I carried the sleeping Shaymin/Mew and the sick Weedle.

"Do you have anything to restore a Pokémon's energy?" I asked, hurrying after the doctor. "This Pokémon here is the one that can cure the disease," I indicated the sleeping Shaymin in my arms. "But she's tired from using the move so much."

The doctor paused to look at Shaymin.

"There may be a few berries left," he said. "Most of our medicine was used up as we tried to deal with the disease."

"Where are the people with the Stone Sickness?" I asked.

"Most of them are together in one building, but a few patients are still in their houses."

"We need to get all of them – people and Pokémon - in one place. That'll make it easier on, uh, Shaymin here."

"Yes, yes," the doctor said distractedly.

We went into a building where he handed me a couple shriveled berries. Then he rushed off to gather the few healthy people left in town. As they started to bring in the stragglers, I woke Mew and fed her one of the berries.

"Feel better?" I asked.

She pulled a face at the bitter, dried fruit. _Mmm. A bit. _She stretched. _Are we in the town? _

"Yeah. They're gathering everyone together. I'm gonna go help."

Mew nodded. I left her and Weedle in the big room that was full of beds and sleeping people. The sick Pokémon were against one side of the room laid out on blankets. Dry coughs occasionally wheezed out from different directions. It sounded like rocks tumbling down a cliff.

Wincing, I left to help bring in the sick.

Over an hour later, we were ready. Mew woke up from another nap and performed Aromatherapy to the entire room. Then she used the attack known as Seed Flare to cleanse the air in the city.

But we couldn't stick around. I took Mew and went back to the legendary dogs.

I yawned widely as I climbed onto Entei's back. But we couldn't rest yet. There was still a lot of work to do.

We set off once more. At one point we had to stop because of a sick Parasect that was spraying paralyzing, sleeping, and poison powders in every direction.

"Can we get past?" I asked.

_Either way, _Suicune said, _this one looks like he's coming down with the sickness. That's probably why he can't control his attacks. I'd better immobilize him. _

She opened her mouth and sent out Blizzard. The entire area was covered with a thick carpet of snow, and Parasect was frozen in place. As Mew went to perform the healing spell, I heard a rustling and looked up. Several Spinarak were dropping from the trees above, the faces on their backs contorted into angry scowls.

_They're angry that we froze this area, _Entei warned.

Without really thinking, I leaned over to scoop up a fistful of snow. I packed it into a ball as Mew jumped back into my lap.

I hurled the snowball at the Spinarak that was hanging in our path, and he was knocked out of the tree. Raikou, Suicune, and Entei darted past the angry swarm and we were once again on our way.

It was nightfall by the time we reached the next city. We rode through the streets, me shouting to rouse everyone.

It took most of the night to gather these people to one place. Mew healed everyone and cleaned the air, and then we were off again. We spent the rest of the night sniffing out groups of coughing Pokémon huddled against the cold. Clouds had started to gather in the sky, blocking out any moonlight. Raikou used his electricity to light the way.

We were still on the move when dawn broke, casting light to the sky once again.

None of us mentioned anything about sleep. There was no point in complaining. And with the exception of Mew who most needed the rest, none of us wanted to sleep while there still remained people who were sick.

Luckily I'm not one to fall asleep when I'm doing something else. Otherwise I would have quickly fallen off of Entei's back. As it was, my fingers were already numb with holding onto his neck, and I almost slipped several times.

The next day, we visited the last 2 towns on the island. It was harder to wake Mew now; she was so worn out from healing everyone. Luckily one town had a revitalizing drink that helped her regain a little of her energy.

We still had a long way to go. There were a lot of wild Pokémon that needed healing, and many of them were hard to find or approach.

As night fell again, Raikou sent crackling light to illuminate our way. The clouds were thicker, and the morning saw a dull drizzle sprinkling the landscape. I didn't have an umbrella, so I had no choice but to let myself get wet. I barely noticed. There was more important stuff on my mind.

It was noon when Suicune raised her nose to the air for the last time. 

_The air is clean, _she announced. _These were the last on the island that needed our help. _

I looked down at the small huddle of sleeping Hoppip and relief flooded though me. We were finally done.

"Really?" I asked, wanting to make doubly sure. "There's nothing left? No one else is going to get sick? _We're_ not going to get sick."

_I don't believe so, _Raikou said.

_All of the streams are clean as well, _Suicune added.

_I think we have stamped out everything, _Entei said, nodding.

Mew heaved a deep, satisfied sigh. _That's good. And the Stone Sickness does come up again, I can always return and fix it. I think it's done though. _The Shaymin form melted away, and she was in her Mew body once again. _In that case, let's get out of here. All of us need some sleep. _

And a moment later, we had been teleported to the outskirts of Ecruteak City once more.

Mew dropped into my arms and was fast asleep once again.

Despite the afternoon sun, sleep was the only thing on all of our minds.

_We'll take you back to Celebi's shrine in the morning, _Entei said.

_We'll wait for you in the Brass Tower as we catch up on sleep_ Raukoi said, baring his great fangs as he yawned widely_. _

I nodded. "That's a good idea. I think I'll go to Morty's…" I paused, trying to get my drowsy brain to catch up with the times. Morty was not alive yet. It was Morty's ancestor, Mark. "Mark's house," I finished. I think they'll let me use their spare room. They offered it last time." I looked down at Mew, asleep in my arms. "I'll bring her too." I stifled a yawn and waved to the three legendary dogs. They bounded into one of the upper windows of the Brass Tower and I shuffled off to Mark's house.

By the time I got there, the drizzle had become a steady rain.

I knocked on Mark's door, and a minute later he opened it.

His mouth fell open as he saw me hunched in his door, my eyelids drooping and twigs and leaves in my hair. I gave a lopsided smile.

"What on earth happened to you?" Mark exclaimed.

"It's a really long storyyyyyyyyyyyy," I said, stifling a yawn at the end. "Do you have somewhere to sleep? I don't care if it's a patch of floor. Anything will work"

"Oh, yeah. Sure. Follow me."

I followed Mark into the house, carrying Mew. He said a few words of explanation to his parents before showing me to a room with a bed. Ah, a heavenly bed.

Mark left and closed the doorI kicked off my shoes and took a moment to change into a dry set of clothes. I put Mew next to the pillow, pulled back the covers, and collapsed into cloud-like softness.

…

No, no. I don't want to wake up. I want to sleep forever!

Stop making noise! Can't you see I have to catch up on a year's worth of sleep?

The noise slowly pulled me out of unconsciousness. There were voices. Lots of voices. And a pattering of rain on the roof. And… and something else. A crackling sound, faint and distant.

I sat bolt upright. The voices weren't close, but they were loud enough that I could hear them from here.

Shouting. People were shouting. And that crackling sound… FIRE!

I leapt out of bed, barely noticing Mew, still in a deep sleep. I sprinted out of the house and into the street.

My blood ran cold. Through the rain-blurred night sky, I could see bright plumes of fire licking at the clouds above. A vast, raging fire was slowly gnawing away at a building.

And then my heart nearly stopped completely. It was the Brass Tower. The tower where Entei, Suicune, and Raikou were sleeping.

I started to run, my bare feet slapping against the wet ground.

The fire didn't look as though it had reached the bottom level of the building yet. It was spreading downwards. But what would make a fire start at the top of the building?

A crack of lightning split the sky, casting a dazzling light on the scene. The boom of thunder came instantly, a deafening sound like a drum beat against the atmosphere. Lightning. That was what had started the fire.

As the momentary flash lit up the night sky, I saw a Pokémon flying above the flaming tower. I recognized the silouette. Lugia. The Brass Tower was Lugia's perch.

Lugia let out an agonized shriek as its home was slowly consumed by the fire. It darted down several times, unleashing torrents of water at the inferno, but the fire was too far advanced. The water wasn't helping.

Another lightning clap showed several figures on the ground. Pokémon were using water attacks and humans were using buckets, but nothing was working. Even the rain sizzled and evaporated before it could even touch the surface of the building.

I skidded to a halt in front of the blazing tower. Around me, people and Pokémon ran, shouting and splashing water onto nearby buildings to keep anything else from catching fire. Luckily the rain was putting out the sparks that were spat from the fire.

I walked several steps closer to the fire, dodging a large man as he hurried past. I could feel the heat of the flames even from here. Cupping my hands over my mouth, I shouted. "Raikou! Suicune! Entei!"

I quickly called out with my telepathy. _Where are you! Please, answer me! _

And instantly, I saw an image of a room in flames with three Pokémon desperately trying to knock the smoldering wreckage away from the blocked window.

"They're still in there!" I shrieked. But no one could hear my voice in the din.

I ran forwards again and collided with Mark.

"Cara!" He shouted.

"Mark! There's still people in the building!"

"WHAT!"

"I have to help them!" I yanked the bucket of water out of his hands and dumped its contents over myself. I pushed past the stunned Mark and ran up the steps. The fire had barely reached the first level. I ran inside and directly to the stairs. The eerie red light lit my way. Flames were creeping down the walls and several patches of roof were burning.

I stomped up to the second level, dodging the hot coals on the ground. The floor grew hotter with each step, but I ignored it.

The roaring of the fire became deafening as I jumped up onto the second floor. Walls of flame were spring up in all directions and parts of the ceiling were crumbling away. I glanced around, searching for Raikou, Suicune, and Entei, but I didn't see them. Were they still one floor up?

"Where are you?" I shouted.

I heard something from above and ran towards the stairs again.

I bit down on my lip to keep from screaming. The floor was so hot! It was burning my feet!

I started up the steps again. I was half way up when part of the stairs discentegrated beneath me. I threw myself forwards, barely grabbing onto the floor above me as most of the staircase fell to the level below, its foundations turned to ash.

I pulled myself up, sitting on a small patch of solid floor. Everything around me was roaring flames. My skin was starting to scald from the heat.

A large pile of debris blocked my progress. But through a small gap, I could see familiar shadows against the glowing light.

Three shapes were darting here and there trying to find the exit but everything was blocked.

They had been so exhausted and their sleep so deep that by the time they awoke, it was too late for them to get out.

"This way!" I shouted. "Come this way!"

Suicune opened her mouth, sending out a spray of water at the debris in front of me. It steamed and cooled slightly. Entei tried to push the debris out of the way, but as he did so, more charred wreckage fell from the ceiling, making him jump back.

They were locked in.

For a moment, their eyes met mine.

"!" I howled.

More of the ceiling caved in, and I could no longer see them. And I couldn't turn back. The stairs below me were gone. If I jumped, I might land in fire, or hurt my leg and be unable to reach the exit.

Something touched my shoulder. I jerked my head up to see Mew floating over me. Before I could react, she transformed into a Hitmonlee, grabbed me around the middle, and jumped back to the second level. Then she leapt out of the opened window and landed heavily on the grass outside. Mew dragged me, crying and flailing wildly, out from under the tower.

Then the top-most level caved in completely. The one beneath buckled instantly. Hitmonlee/Mew bounded backwards as a burning beam fell towards us.

We landed amongst the silent, shcocked crowd and could do nothing but watch as the rest of the building crumbled away.

Through tear-soaked eyes, I saw Lugia, his skin reflected red in the light. He let out a keening wail, then he turned and flew away to the south, vanishing behind the rain and clouds.


	25. Renewal

Renewal

I sat there in the rain, watching the flames leap up into the cloudy sky. The remaider of the tower collapsed to the ground, leaving only the outer walls of the bottom level. Then the rain began to take effect and the flames sputtered in the damp.

A few Pokémon sent half-hearted water blasts at the wreckage, but there was hardly any point now. The Brass Tower had fallen.

Everyone remained watching in silent disbelief as the final plumes of smoke died away. Even the rain seemed to lose heart, subsiding to a faint drizzle. Hitmonlee/Mew was still sitting beside me, and Mark had appeared beside us.

The crowd began to disperse. There was no reason to be here any longer, standing in the cold rain. But I didn't move. I had lost all strength in my body and mind. Besides, the cool felt good on my brint skin.

Mark remained also, staring at the smoking wreckage. He was silent and still.

I'd failed. I couldn't save them. I'd been so close, and hadn't been able to help.

_It wasn't your fault, _Mew said.

_I knew the place would burn down, _I said dully. _I learned it in the future. I should have warned them to stay out of there. _

_You knew? _Mew asked, surprised. Then she continued,_ But you didn't know it would be tonight. _ _And how could you expect to stop the building from burning? You're no more at fault than I. You went in there to help while I was sleeping. When I woke up, it was too late. _

_You got me out of there_. I wondered if I'd had any of my Pokémon team with me if I could have made a difference. Gyarados and Blastoise with their water attacks, or Alakazam that could have teleported in and freed them. What about Mewtwo? He could have stopped the whole thing with a flick of his wrist.

I looked up at the gray sky. Was it still night? Maybe dawn was approaching. I couldn't tell.

Then I saw the second off to the east: The Tin Tower. It was still standing tall and sturdy. But there was a light coming from it.

Automatically dread flooded me. Could the Tin Tower have caught fire too?

No…No, this was different. This wasn't fire light. It was a golden glow coming from the top of the building. It grew brighter, and then a huge shape came from the Tin Tower, outlined against the gray clouds. It flew towards us, flapping its beautiful sparkling wings.

Ho-Oh.

He opened his beak, letting out a beautiful, keening call. Everyone who was still outside watched as Ho-Oh circled over the smoldering rubble that remained of Lugia's tower. With each circle, he came closer and closer to the glowing cinders. His wings scattered the smoke and made the coals flare slightly.

Then Ho-Oh gripped the broken black wall with his claws. It held under the bird's weight as he landed.

He continued to sing in the beautiful, sorrowful voice. Then he spread his golden wings wide and let out a long note that soared between pitches and octaves in a beautiful dance.

Ho-Oh lowered his neck and touched the hot ash with his beak. Then he raised his wings again and took to the air.

He circled higher into the air, the raindrops scattering off of his feathers.

And then something changed among the Brass Tower's wreckage. There was a slight stirring from the rubble as though the building were trying to put itself back together.

I watched, tense, at the spot where the ash had moved. Then something burst from under the ash and coal. No, there was more than one. There were… three.

I sat up, my mouth open slightly. Could it…

One of the figures landed to the west of the building, one on the east side, and one in front. For a moment, thre three of them stood there, their manes billowing out behind them. They glanced around, looking at each other. Their eyes flitted over the small crowd of humans in front of them. Then Raikou, Suicune, and Entei each raised their heads, let out a howl, and took off in different directions, vanishing into the forest.

A beam of sunlight broke through the clouds on the horizon and fell on Ho-Oh, casting a dazzling rainbow in the air. Ho-OH flew on, his wings blending into the colors of the rainbow until he faded from sight.

…

I don't remember going back to the house. I might have passed out right there on the street, once I'd seen the legendary Pokémon disappear. I guess Mark and Mew brought me back to bed.

When I finally woke up, I found Mew curled up besides me. The curtains were drawn, but it didn't seem to be light out. So either it was still cloudy, or I'd slept through to the next night. I wouldn't be surprised if I'd slept two entire days.

Even so, I didn't move for a very long time. I sat under the warm covers, hugging Mew.

Even when she woke up, we sat there together, lost in thought about the previous days.

It was hunger that finally drove us from the room.

After taking a bath (they don't have hot showers in the past so Mew heated the water for me), I spread lotion on the various burns and scorches on my body. Whatever the ointment was, it worked wonderfully. I could feel my skin cool instantly and the pain ease the moment it was on.

"Hey, Mew," I said as I wrapped ointment-soaked bandages around my bare feet, "If I time-travel with Celebi, will she take me back to the moment I left, or will several days have passed back home too?"

_She should be able to take you back to a time soon after you left, _Mew replied.

"That's good, at least. I don't want Ben, Hari, and my Pokémon having heart attacks with me being gone for so long. And that also means that I can stay here a little longer to recover. I'd rather not return home covered in burns. If Ben and Hari aren't freaked out enough already, they'd be pretty shocked to see me all fried up. Hey, Mew, do you need any of this ointment?"

_No, I'm all right. I didn't really get burned. Let me help you put some bandages on your forearms. Those got burned pretty badly too. _

"I'm glad my hair didn't catch on fire," I muttered. "It probably would have if it hadn't been back in a ponytail."

I looked up when I heard a knock on the bathroom door. It was Mark.

"There's some good news, Cara," Mark called through the door. "I'll tell you when you're done."

I came out walking rather stiffly on my heavily bound feet. I felt like a greasy mummy with all my ointment and bandages. I was looking forward to hearing good news.

"Cianwood Island is starting to recover from the Stone Sickness!" Mark exclaimed. They said a trainer and her Pokémon brought the cure to everyone, and the sickness is leaving the island. They said that the three Pokémon were… were Raikou, Suicune, and Entei. They must have just returned from the island when… when the fire…" He broke off and took a deep breath. "I never knew that Ho-Oh had the power to bring Pokémon back from death. But I'm glad that the three of them are going to be all right."

Then he looked up at me. "Cara, you knew that Raikou, Suicune and Entei were in the tower. You went in after them. Was… was it you who went to the island to spread the cure?"

I looked away, unsure how to answer. I hadn't gotten a chance to talk about Cianwood with him since I returned. But I guess by now it was pretty obvious to him. Mew's presence was only further proof of my connection to the legendary Pokémon here.

"Yeah," I muttered. I though of what Morty had told me before I'd gone bak in time: a trainer and three Pokémon. But Mew made four Pokémon. But then no one in Johto would have recognized a Pokémon like Shaymin. And the fire would have brought the three legendary dogs to everyone's mind. Over the passage of time, it could easily be that the unknown Pokémon Shaymin (or Mew) would be forgotten and only three of the Pokémon remembered.

It was strange in a way. Although the truth never actually changes, to the people of the future, they will see a different version of events as "truth." Does that mean that the real truth is lost forever? Or is there some place where it's stored indefinitely?

…

"Thanks for everything, Mark," I said a couple days later. Most of the burns had faded, and it was time for me to go home.

"I think we should be thanking you," Mark called back. "Come visit any time."

No, I hadn't told him I was from the future.

Mew and I walked out of town, me limping slightly on my somewhat tender feet. When we were away from the city, Mew used Teleport, taking us to Ilex Forest, in front of Celebi's shrine.

I glanced around, looking for Celebi. Maybe I had to open the shrine? Then I saw her sitting on top of the shrine.

Celebi fluttered down towards me, smiling.

_I hear you figured it out! _

I shrugged. "The Pokémon did all the work," I muttered.

_They couldn't have done it without you,_ Celebi said. _And I heard what you did for Suicune, Entei, and Raikou. You risked your life to try to help them. _

The act seemed doubly useless though. Not only had I failed to get them out, but they ended up being revived by Ho-Oh. But I wish I could have seen the three of them again before I left.

I took a deep breath and smiled. "Yeah. I'm glad I could do something to help. I wish I could have helped more."

_You did amazingly_, Mew said. _Bye Cara. I'll miss you. I'll never forget you. _

"I won't forget you either," I said, hugging her. "Thanks in advance."

_Advance for what? _She asked.

I smiled. "I can't tell."

Mew cocked her head, confused.

_Are you ready? _Celebi asked.

I took one last look around me before nodding.

Mew floated back out of the way as I stepped towards Celebi. She flew above me and began to glow. Gold and green light folded around me and Celebi called out, "!"

I looked back at Mew and raised a hand in farewell.

Just as our surroundings began to disappear, Mew called out, _I'll see you again, Cara! I promise! _

And then the world of the past disappeared.

I shut my eyes as I felt the time travel engulf me. I was determined not to pass out this time. I could feel things brushing past me, like gentle breezes or soft leaves. Then the pressure subsided and I felt normal air around me once again. My feet touched grass and I opened my eyes.

There was a stunned audience in front of me, consistinf of Ben, Hari, Ponyta, Espeon, and Umbreon.

For a moment we stared at each other. Celebi was still there, hovering over my shoulder. Then Hari ran towards me.

"Waaaaaaaaahhhhhh!" He shouted, hugging me tighty. "Cara, you disappeared! We were so scared!"

I hugged him back, looking over at Ben. He looked torn between relief and shock. I gave him a guilty grin.

"You," Ben started, "You-you stupid idiot!" he exclaimed suddenly.

I blinked at him, surprised. I rarely heard Ben shout.

"Do you know what it's like to chase someone and then arrive only to see them sucked into some weird portal? Do you know how worried everyone was? Hari waas freaking out! Polaris, Eon, and Uber were having fits! And…" he broke off, but I understood what he meant.

"I'm sorry," I said, smiling slightly. "I wasn't quite intending for that to happen." I scruffed Hari's hair and made a mental note to cut at least a few inches off of it. "How long was I gone?"

"About five minutes, I think," Ben said, glancing at his Pokégear clock. "Man, is that all? Why? How long were _you_ gone?"

Hari let go, sniffling a bit. I went over to greet Polaris, Eon, and Uber. Polaris nuzzled me and Eon and Uber rubbed against my legs.

"Almost a week," I said, counting the days on my fingers. "It's a really long story." I hugged Polaris's neck.

_There's one other thing I want to show you, _Celebi said. She pointed into the trees. Something rustled, and then a shape appeared in the clearing in front of the shrine.

Suicune.

Then Entei and Raikou emerged besides her.

I stared at them for several moments before taking a step forwards.

Did they remember me? True, Entei was the reason I came to the shrine in the first palce… but how much did they remember? After all, they'd died and come back to life…

The three of them stood side-by-side, watching me. Then Entei gave a small nod of his head.

I fell forwards and threw my arms around Suicune's neck, which was closest. She closed her eyes and nuzzled me. I turned to hug Entei and Raikou too.

"You're all right," I whispered. "You're okay."

_We never got a chance to thank you, _Entei said.

_I guess what has been a century for us has been a very short time for you, _Raikou continued.

_The burns are still fresh on your arms, _Entei noted. _Celebi can heal them for you. _

"I'm sorry I couldn't help you in the tower," I said, trying not to cry in front of Ben and Hari.

_It's fine, _Suicune said. _It's fine. I'm glad we got to see you again. _

_Even if it is after a century, _Raikou said, amused.

_Cara? _

I looked up at the familiar voice. It was Mew. She'd come too.

She floated down to greet me. _I guess you know now, huh? The reason I looked after you when you started your journey? _

I nodded. "Yeah. I know now."

_It's been hard waiting so long to talk to you about it, _Mew said. _A lot more has happened since then, huh? What with Giovanni and Mewtwo. _

"No kidding," I replied, grinning.

_Which reminds me. Mewtwo sends a message. He's doing fine. _

"That's good. I'm glad he's okay." I hoped to see him again soon. I worried about him a lot.

I glanced back at Ben and Hari, who were looking quite baffled by all this.

"There's some people I'd like to introduce you to," I said, laughing. "And stuff I have to tell all of you!"


	26. Keeping it Paradise

I had this idea last week. I just wanted to try something different, and hopefully make it fun. Tell me if it is kinda fun and not just boring.

I think I'll have to re-think my fanfic schedule. My classes this semester are organized in a way that makes Sunday posting very difficult. I'll have to try to remind myself to finish my fanfic chapters by Saturday… Otherwise I won't get a chance to post until Wednesdays. That's what happeed this week…

Polaris-Ponyta, Pexle-Ninetales, Nova-Rapidash, Patch-clone Charizard, Gro-Hari's Grovyle

Keeping It Paradise

"That was good work today, guys," Cara said, stepping down off of the bleachers. "You can go."

Polaris shook herself off and trotted off of the battlefield. Across from her, Ninetales was also leaving the field. They'd just gotten through their daily training session. On some days, Cara practiced with them, and on other days, the Pokémon found their own ways to practice.

Cara stretched and started walking back to the house. Polaris followed her and they reached the house together. Cara turned and scratched behind Polaris's ears. "I'll go for a ride later. I want to check on the little ones, but I promised Ben I'd help him with something. And…"

At that moment, there was a deafening crash followed by a series of loud thunks coming from inside. Cara and Polaris nearly jumped out of their skins.

"Ben!" Cara shouted, running in through the door. "I thought you were gonna wait for me before you tried to move the bookshelf!"

Polaris peered in through the front window to see the bookshelf knocked over on its side and Ben buried beneath a pile of books. Cara started digging through them to unearth Ben. She did her best to avoid further damage to the books.

"Ow, ""Ben moaned, sitting up and sending a cascade of books thudding to the floor.

"You idiot! What were you thinking!" Cara exclaimed.

Polaris snorted in amusement and turned back towards the field. It would take a while to clean up that mess. She'd go check on Cara's "little ones" for her.

Ponyta took off at a trot across the field, heading for the forest. Her herd was grazing in the distance. She thought about going to find Nova, but she wouldn't be gone long.

She headed to the path under the trees and made for the protected little glade that served as something of a nursery for a special group of baby Pokémon.

It was surrounded by large mossy boulders and had a little pond in it. Ferns grew thick around the edges, and the ground was covered in a plushy green carpet of moss. The place was about 20 feet across, and there were several nests built against its edges.

This was where the eggs from Mewtwo's clones had hatched. So far, there were litters from Rhyhorn, Charizard, Nidoqueen, Vaporeon, and Gyarados. Tha amazing thing was that they actually hatched into the evolved forms. No doubt a result of the cloning procedure. And the baby Charizard had the same red markings as their clone father.

Cara spent pretty much all of her free time over here, fussing over the babies and playing with them. But the parent Pokémon were never far either. Several of the clones were babysitting in the glade – Charizard (named Patch), Venusaur, Nidoqueen, Vulpix, and Seadra (who was in the pond).

In one of the nests, the baby Rhyhorn were napping. The little Gyarados and Vaporeon were splashing around in the water. The baby Charizard and Nidoqueen were keeping their distance from the water, and were playing against the mossy wall.

Polaris glanced over the scene, doing a quick count to make sure everyone was present. It was probably an unnecessary measure, but Cara could never avoid doing it when she came to visit. Polaris would do it for her this time.

Rhyhorn, Gyarados, and Vaporeon were all accounted for. There were 4 of each of them. There were three Charizard and five Nidoqueen. She counted the Nidoqueen, and then started counting the Charizard. She could see two of them playing with the tail of the clone Vulpix. And there were two more over by Patch, the adult Charizard. Wait… four? There were only supposed to be three Charizard!

Then Polaris noticed that one of the Charizard had an uncharestic grin on its face. She walked towards it, gave an annoyed snort, and stomped her foot beside the false baby Charizard. It gave a startled yelp, and a moment later had changed shape into a little gray and red fox.

"I was only playing!" Zorua whined.

"That's not all you do," Polaris snorted. "You like to tease the parents too. They have a lot of work to do as it is."

"I really was just playing this time!" Zorua insisted.

"I'll step on your tail if I catch you making trouble. If Patch wasn't dozing, he probably would have singed your whiskers to chase you away."

"Spoil sport," Zorua grumbled. "I'm going somewhere else." He dashed out of the glade.

A baby Nidoqueen came to paw at Polaris's leg. She lowered her head and nuzzled her before stepping over to the clone Charizard.

Patch raised his head. "Hello," he sighed.

"You sound tired," Polaris noted.

"Oh, yeah. I was playing with the little ones. All of them combined have a lot more energy than I do. The baby Rhyhorn only just went to sleep."

Polaris whinnied in amusement. "That's true. They're easiest to deal with when they're asleep."

Patch grinned. "I'm glad there are so many of us though. All of the clones take turns looking after them. Otherwise we'd be worked to the bone. Charren left just a minute ago to take a fly. And though Zorua does like to be a bit miscevious, he does play with the babies."

"Cara might not make it today," Polaris said. "She was digging Ben from beneath a pile of books when I left."

Patch laughed. "When she came last, she was helping us think up names for some of the babies. She wants to pick good ones. She acts like a mom herself."

Two of the baby Charizard climbed onto Patch's back and one of them spring-boarded off, gliding up to land on Polaris's shoulders.

"Don't fall," she cautioned, craning her neck back towards the baby. She snorted in reply and walked back and forth along Ponyta's white back.

Patch turned his head skyward. "When do you think he'll come back?"

"You mean Mewtwo?" Polaris asked.

Patch nodded.

Polaris looked skyward too. "Hard to tell. A few weeks ago, Mew sent word that he was doing fine. Cara worries about him a lot, in case someone finds out about him."

Patch nodded. "This is a beautiful place. I'm glad we came. But I do worry about him. After all, he's the one who made us."

Polaris nodded slowly. "Yeah. You guys care a lot about him too. I'm sure he'll come back some day."

At that moment, Hari appeared with Grovyle. They slid down one of the boulders and landed in the glade. Hari was one of the few who had the energy to play as long as the babies wanted to. At the sight of him, the baby Vaporeon, Nidoqueen, and Charizard scampered up to him. The Rhyhorn woke up, and the Gyarados swam as close as they could. The baby Charizard jumped off of Polaris's bck and glided over towards Hari. Hari grinned and caught the small missile, scratching around her horns.

Gro got into a wrestling match with the Nidoqueen as Hari fed pieces of apple to the Gyarados.

As the babies huddled together to get pieces of apple, one of the Charizard got too close to one of the Vaporeon. The flame on his tail touched against Vaporeon's ruff.

Vaporeon squealed and turned around, sending a jet of water at Charizard. He jumped clear, snapping his little wings open to try to fly to safety. But the baby Vaporeon sent out another water fountain, and caught the Charizard beneath the wings, propelling him upwards. Then the wind caught his wings and pulled him away. He gave a frightened squeal and disappeared form sight.

"Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!" Everyone shouted.

"We lost a baby!" Hari shouted! "We lost a baby! Oh no!"

Patch jumped to his feet and beat his wing, taking to the air. He quickly rose above the trees and took off in search of the missing baby.

"Let's go look, too," Hari said, jumping up onto Polaris's back. Gro jumped into his lap.

"Be good," Hari instructed the babies. "We'll be back."

"Good luck," called the clone Nidoqueen. "We'll look after things here!"

Polaris cantered out of the glade and headed in the direction that the baby had vanished.

"There's some orange in the tree there," Gro noted. He bounded up through the tree branches towards the bright color. He paused, and then dropped back down again. "Just a Weedle."

"We'll keep looking," Polaris said. She scanned the trees as she moved forwards. They could catch glimpses of Patch circling overhead, searching from above.

"See anything?" Hari shouted up to him.

"Not yet," Patch called back.

Gro jumped up intot he treetops again, bounding from branch to branch to get a different viewpoint.

"It's all my fault!" Hari cried suddenly. "They were crowding around me to get food when it happened!"

"Don't worry," Polaris said. "He'll be fine."

"Here!" Gro called. "Up here!"

Hari sprang off of Polaris's back and swung up into the tree, following Gro's voice. He paused near the top of the tree where there was a nest of Caterpie. Curled up among the sleeping bugs was a tiny snoozing Charizard. He must have got tired out from his unexpected flight, and climbed in the nest once he'd landed. Hari grinned and scooped the baby clone into his arms before climbing back down to Polaris.

"We found him, Patch," Gro shouted, following Hari back to earth.

"Good," Patch said, sounding relieved. "Let's go back before Charren returns and panics."

With the baby Charizard returned to his nest, Polaris left Hari at the nursery and headed back to the house. She wondered if Cara and Ben had fixed the bookshelf yet.

It was starting to get dark, so the lights were on inside. Polaris looked in the window to see most of the mess cleaned up. She could see Cara and Ben too. Cara was grabbing Ben's arm.

"Come on! Hold still! Just put a bandaid on your stupid cut!" Cara said, trying to drag the fleeing Ben back into the room.

"It's just a cut!" Ben groaned. "You never put bandaids on your cuts!"

"I get too many to even notice. Besides, it always looks worse when other people are cut."

"That makes no sense at all." As he turned towards her, Polaris could see a little cut on his forehead. No doubt a mark from the falling bookshelf.

"You said you'd put one on after we cleaned up, and we did that," Cara said, trying to push the bandaid into Ben's hand. "Don't make me put this on you! I'll probably get the tape stuck in your hair cause you won't hold still!"

"You're not my Mom," Ben groaned, trying to escape again.

_Cara?_ Polaris called, nosing the front door open and peering inside.

Cara stopped the tug-of-war against Ben's arm and turned to Polaris. Ben took the opportunity to escape and flee down the hall.

_I just checked on the little ones, _Polaris said.

"Oh, thanks, Polaris. I guess I didn't get a chance to go over there today. How is everything?"

_All's well. Hari stayed to look after things. _

"Okay. Thanks, Polaris." Cara turned back to the room to find that Ben had gone.

"Hey!" she shouted.

"I'm putting a stupid bandaid on!" Ben called from the back of the house.

Polaris gave a small snort of laughter and backed out of the house. Little spats between Cara and Ben were common. They enjoyed small battles to bug each other. They were usually pretty fun to watch too. Although Cara would probably deny the claim, their little arguments were a sign of affection.

Polaris headed back to the herd. The clone Rapidash whinnied a welcome. Nova raised his head as he saw her coming and they touched noses in greeting.

"Anything interesting going on around the island?"Nova asked.

Polaris gave the horse-equivalent of a shrug. "Compared to some of the stuff that goes on around here, it was pretty normal."


	27. Broken Reunion

This part of the story basically covers the parts that were tied up in the movie, hence the similarities.

Broken Reunion

It felt good to be entering a contest again. I hadn't been in one for a few months. This one would be especially interesting because you were only allowed to use fire Pokémon. Fire isn't my favorite type, but I do like a lot of Pokémon that happen to be fire type. I like a lot of water Pokémon too. In fact, I think there _is_ a big water tournament somewhere in Johto.

I reviewed my fire team in my head: Charizard, Flareon, Ninetales, Ponyta, Rapidash, and Typhlosion. A solid team with some of my best Pokémon. I could feel the anticipation building as I walked towards the Blackthorn arena. This was the sort of stuff that we trained on Avalon for.

I stopped at the outskirts of town, trying to remember which way it was to the Pokémon Center. I hadn't been up here in a while. The center was the place to rgister for the competition.

I picked a street and started walking. I could always ask for directions. I glanced around, trying to find someone. I paused, one foot in the air, and glanced down a side street. I thought I'd just seen someone standing at the end, but when I turned to look, they were gone.

I started walking again, glancing behind me. Then I saw something dark whip around a corner. I froze and stared at the place where it had vanished. Then I started walking towards it. I turned down the street to find it empty. But at the end of the road, there was a dark piece of fabric fluttering out from behind the next bend. I walked towards it, sliding my backpack off of my shoulders in case I needed to grab one of my Pokéballs. I'd been through too much to _not_ be suspicious of something like this.

As I approached, the dark clothe shifted out of sight. But I could sense someone standing just out of my vision.

And I stepped out around the corner.

There _was_ someone there. Soemone in a long dark cloak with his face hidden beneath a black broad-brimmed hat.

Slowly a grin spread across my face.

"Hi, Mewtwo."

He tilted his head up so I could see his face beneath the hat. He smiled. "Hi."

"You're back!" I exclaimed. "How did your trip go? Did you have a good time?"

He nodded. "Yes. I learned a lot."

"I guess you went all over Kanto and Johto, huh?"

He nodded again.

"Did you come to say hi? I mean, are you leaving again?"

"Actually, I thought I'd go to the island to see how my clones are doing."

"That's a great idea!" I exclaimed. "Did you know, some of them have babies now! They're really sweet."

"Then they're all doing well?"

"Yep."

There was the sound of a car horn honking in the distance. Mewtwo glanced up. "Let's leave the city so we can talk without being disturbed."

"Good idea," I agreed.

Mewtwo pulled the cloak around himself and the two of us walked north until we were up in the mountains. Now there was no chance of us being overheard. I sat down against a rock and put my bag to the side. Mewtwo pulled off his hat and cloak and set them on a rock.

…

"_No doubt about it. That's him." _

"_There's someone with him. That's odd. Who else could possibly know about him? Who could possibly be on _speaking_ terms with him?" _

"_Wait… Wait. Zoom in on that other figure. The human. What… Unbelievable." _

…

"Thank you for the disguise, by the way," he said as he sat down across from me. "It's quite useful, and I can get near humans without being noticed."

"I'm glad it works," I said. "It looks really cool on you too."

"So, there are baby clones now? I can't wait to meet them."

"Neither can they. They've heard a lot about you. Actually, a lot's happened since you left."

"Has it?"

I hesitated, wondering if it was a good idea to mention that Team Rocket had almost stolen his clone Pikachu. But hiding it would no doubt be worse.

"I brought Pisky to Johto."

"That's the Pikachu's name, right?"

"That's right. I got, uh, kidnapped. So did my Pokémon. But Pisky escaped, and we all got away in the end. Since then, I've been afraid to take any of the clones off of the island. I know they're safe on Avalon, but I can't be sure that they won't get into trouble somewhere else."

Mewtwo thought for a moment. "Yes, they are safe on Avalon. But you should let them explore some too. They're strong enough to watch over you."

I smiled. "Yeah, that's true. I guess even Avalon could be a prison if they were never allowed to leave it."

Pause.

"Oh yeah!" I continued. "I found out more about Mew!"

"Mew?" Mewtwo repeated.

"Yeah. You know, I was friends with her before I met you."

"That's right. You saved her from Team Rocket. They were trying to use her DNA to create me."

"That's right. Mew came to me the day I started my Pokémon journey. I never understood why. Mew is a legendary. She was the most powerful Pokémon in the world. Why on earth would she start hanging around me? When I went to Ilex Forest, I fell into Celebi's shrine. She took me back in time where I met Raikou, Suicune, and Entei. And I met Mew also." I quickly explained about the Stone Sickness and the Brass Tower burning down. "So, Mew knew me from way back then. And she promised she'd watch over me when she found me in the future. You know, she was the one who told me to find you when you were on New Island."

Mewtwo nodded slowly. "I'm glad she did."

I glanced up at him, wondering what he meant.

"So, what about you?" I asked after a while. "What have you been up to?"

"I've been trying not to draw too much attention to myself," Mewtwo said. "I mainly explored cities and forests, watching anything that looked interesting. Actually… I stopped a dam from collapsing."

"You did? That's great! Thank you."

"Why are you thanking me?"

"Well, I doubt anyone who was there got a chance to thank you, so I thought I'd do it."

Mewtwo gave a small smile. "You are an interesting human."

"Nah. I'm just weird."

He smiled again. "By the way, what were you doing in Blackthorn? I sensed your presence, which is why I came to look for you."

"I'm going to enter a Fire Pokémon competition," I replied. "I'll need to register at the Pokémon Center before nightfall, but we have time."

Mewtwo turned his head, looking out across the sky. He slowly stood up, turning his head as though searching for something.

"What is it?" I asked, standing as well.

He didn't immediately reply, but continued glancing around. "Something feels… off."

"Maybe you should put your cloak back on," I said, walking over to reach for his hat. If someone was coming, we didn't want hid identity revealed.

Then something behind his cloak moved. I froze and stared at the area, but there was nothing there. Only the shifting shadows of a tree that was swaying in the wind.

I was just being jumpy.

Or was I? Because I saw the movement again.

What I'd taken to be a dark patch of soil had just shifted.

And then something began to rise out of the shadows.

"Ah!" I shouted as the black thing suddenly launched itself at me. I fell backwards, crashing over a rock and landing in a heap on my back.

Mewtwo leapt into battle mode. He sent out a psychic sphere, but the black Pokémon darted out of the way. It was moving so fast I couldn't get a good look at it, but it was about Mewtwo's size.

It looped around and shot directly at Mewtwo. Mewtwo blasted a volley of sparkling blue spheres, but the black Pokémon faded into the shadows again, becoming no more than a shadow himself.

The dark patch flowed across the ground, and then the Pokémon appeared. And in the split second that it hovered above the ground, I recognized it.

Darkrai.

Mewtwo shot another attack, and this time it hit. But although it was a powerful blow, Darkrai barely flinched.

"Mewtwo!" I shouted. "Darkrai is a Dark type! Psychic attacks will do almost nothing to it!"

Then Darkrai send out a barrage of fuschia-and-black spheres. Mewtwo darted upwards, avoiding them.

"Those'll put you to sleep! Don't let them hit you!" I shouted.

I had to do something to help. My Pokéballs! I started running to the spot where I'd left my bag, but a moment later, Darkrai appeared directly in front of me. He positioned his arms to send out another volley of the attack known as Dark Void. That was when I saw it: A mechanical band around his forearm.

I staggered backwards and tripped over a rock. As I crashed flat on my back, the Dark Void's flew over my head, missing me by inches. I rolled to my feet and sprang to the side to get away from Darkrai. Mewtwo charged Darkrai again, driving me further back from my backpack.

"Mewtwo!" I shouted. "His arm!"

Mewtwo glided to the side to dodge an attack, and he saw the armband too. Darkrai was acting under someone's orders. That mechanical band was doing something to him.

Mewtwo gave a small gesture to me. I nodded in understanding and dove behind a rock just in time to take cover from an off-course attack. The rock shattered, sending fragments flying around me. I flattened myself to the ground to avoid the shrapnel, and then rolled to the next rock.

Then Mewtwo floated directly above. He let something fall, and I reached out and caught it. It was a black Pokéball, similar to the ones he'd used to steal our Pokémon back on New Island.

Suddenly Darkrai let out a pulsing black wave. Dark Pulse.

"Dodge!" I shouted to Mewtwo.

He flew upwards to try to avoid the attack. I again hit the deck, but I could feel the power of the Dark Pulse wash over me. My stomach lurched unpleasantly and my head throbbed. For a moment, I was immobilized, shivering under the force of it. MEwtwo had thrown up a blue bubble-shield around himself. As the Dark Pulse hit it, the psychic barrier warped, yielded to the attack . Mewtwo gave a startled cry as his shield broke, and then flinched in pain as the Dark Pulse hit him. For a moment, he floated there, stunned. Then he managed to regain his composure, and he darted beneath another attack.

Except for Dark Pulse, Darkrai kept using Dark Void. He must be trying to put Mewtwo to sleep. This was a dangerous match. I had to find a way to tilt the odds in Mewtwo's favor.

I wrenched myself off the ground, fighting the lingering effects of Dark Pulse.

For half a moment, Mewtwo and Darkrai hung in the air. Then at the same time, both of them unleashed a barrage of glowing spheres. Darkrai raised his arms and tucked in his head. I watched, as though in slow motion, the volley of blue and black orbs colliding with each other. At that moment, one of Mewtwo's attacks hit the bracelet. The bracelet cracked and fell to the ground. I leapt out form behind the rock and hurled Mewtwo's Pokéball. At the same time I threw it, I saw a single Dark Void slip through and strike Mewtwo squarely in the chest. Just as Darkrai disappeared into Mewtwo's Pokéball, Mewtwo was engulfed in the Dark Void.

The Pokéball clattered to the rock, and Mewtwo crashed to the ground, his eyes shut and a pained expression on his face as though he were dreaming something awful.

Or course. Darkrai create Nightmares.

I snatched Darkrai's Pokéball off the ground and dropped to my knees at Mewtwo's side. I barely noticed as I shrank the Pokéball and tucked it into my pocket.

"Mewtwo!" I shouted, shaking his shoulder.

This wasn't good. I had to get him out of here. Someone had sent Darkrai after us. Someone had tried to put him to sleep. That was bad. It meant that someone was after Mewtwo. Someone who knew that they had to put him to sleep to prevent him from destroying them. And there was only one possibility as to who that might be.

Something white burst out of the rocks to my side. I didn't have time to move. The spider-web encircled me, entangling me in its sticky strands.

Then a strange levitating robot appeared from the same direction. It hovered in front of Mewtwo for a moment, and then it released a red bubble that encased the sleeping Mewtwo.

I screamed in outrage and thrashed against the web.

The bubble lifted Mewtwo off the ground. He remained slumped motionless on the bottom of the round prison.

An Ariados scuttled into the view. It was the one that had sent out the spider web ensnaring me. A couple people came behind it.

One of them was the last person I wanted to see.

Giovanni.


	28. Erasing Troubles

I shall drag myself away from Black in order to write this. ^-^ Though I'm not too thrilled with some of the new Pokémon designs, it is a fun game. I'm just waiting for a full day to play it. Except I also need a full day to write on my non-fanfic story… School, stop eating my time!

I find it very interesting how both of my fanfics-in-progress have characters that turn into shadows.

I really need to break this habit of posting my chapters a couple days late.

Erasing Troubles

Giovanni paused in front of the red bubble that encased the sleeping Mewtwo. He paced in a circle around it, nodding silently. The rocket grunt that accompanied Giovanni walked over to me and grabbed the thick webs that bound me, dragging me upright.

I didn't even look at him. My eyes were locked on Giovanni and Mewtwo. My insides were writhing horribly. This was one of the worst possible things I could imagine ever happening. I started praying that Mewtwo would wake up from his nightmare and break the bubble. But _could _he break the bubble? Giovanni wouldn't have made that easy. He knew what Mewtwo was capable of.

After Giovanni finished his examination of Mewto, he turned to me. I went rigid. I knew at once that he recognized me.

Giovanni slowly smiled and started walking towards us. The guy holding me planted my feet on the ground so that I could remain standing still. But with my arms and legs glued together, I'd fall with the slightest movement. If only I could reach Darkrai's Pokéball in my pocket! And my bag with the rest of my Pokémon in it was way over there, behind the rock. I prayed that Team Rocket wouldn't find it.

"When I saw you on the cameras," Giovanni said, "I couldn't believe my eyes. Who would have thought after all this time that you'd be getting in my way again?"

I didn't respond. I was afraid that if I started shouting, I'd topple onto my face. I clenched my teeth and remained staring straight at Giovanni.

"I'm almost curious," he continued, "how the two of you met and why you seem to be friendly with each other."

I remained silent.

"I find it interesting how you fought so hard to keep me from cloning Mew, and now I find that you've stolen the results of my plan."

"He's not some tool to be bought and sold," I said through grit teeth.

"So, you can talk then. That's good. I need to ask you some questions about this one. How did you ever get him to be obedient to you? Have you found his weakness?"

"He's not obedient to anyone," I replied coldly. "Now, let me ask you something. After I creamed you and rescued Mew, how come you didn't come after me? Even after four years, you only found me by accident."

"You flatter yourself. You think I don't have anything better to do than track down weak trainers and give them a spanking? Even with over a hundred Pokémon on your side, the only reason you won is because those legendary birds arrived to help Mew. Unfortunately they escaped as well. They would have made excellent pieces to my collection."

Every word he spoke made me want to kick him where it hurt. If only my legs weren't glued together!

Giovanni gestured to his henchman and turned away. The Rocket grunt gave me a push on the shoulder. I let out a yelp as I tipped sideways, but I didn't hit the ground. Instead I fell on Ariados's back.

Giovanni and the other guy started walking back in the direction they'd come from. The robot that was imprisoning Mewtwo in the bubble floated after them. And Ariados went after them, carrying me on his back.

I wriggled desperately, trying to get my fingers loose.

_Mewtwo! _I shouted. _Mewtwo! _

But he was too deep in his nightmare. He couldn't wake.

For several minutes we walked further around the mountain. Several more men and women in Team Rocket uniforms joined us.

Then Giovanni stopped. "This looks like a good place. We won't be disturbed here."

The other guy dragged me off of Ariados and pushed me onto a rock where I remained sitting.

We were in an area that was surrounded on 3 sides by steep slopes and rocky cliffs. Mewtwo was suspended above us in his round prison.

And then Giovanni approached me again.

"Well, since our friend is still asleep, I might as well start with you."

I snorted. How dare he call Mewtwo "friend?"

"How do you know him?" Giovanni demanded.

I kept my mouth shut. I didn't want to give him even the smallest details in case they might be useful to Giovanni.

"And why does he obey you?"

"He doesn't," I muttered.

Giovanni paused for a moment, and then gave a small smile. His eyes were fixed on my cheek. I knew that there was a thin white scar beneath my right eye. It was a relic of my last encounter with Giovanni, when his Nidoking had hit me. It seemed to amuse him that I had a scar from that.

At that moment, I saw movement from inside the red bubble. Mewtwo was stirring. Suddenly he sat bolt upright and started unleashing a fierce barrage of psychic attacks against the inside of his bubble. But nothing made the slightest difference to the smooth surface around him.

Then the robot gave a buzzing sound and static rippled across the bubble. Then the static hit Mewtwo and he gave a cry of pain and fell down again. The static faded and Mewtwo slowly stood up, trembling.

My mouth was hanging open as horror flooded through me.

"You'd be wise not to try that again," Giovanni said, walking over to Mewtwo.

_Mewtwo! _I called._ Are you okay? _

He turned his head and saw me wrapped up in spider webs. He gave a small nod.

_I'll find a way to get us out of here! I promise! _

Mewtwo hesitated, and then gave another small nod. Then Giovanni started talking again.

"It's been a while, Mewtwo. I've been looking for you. I see you've been getting on rather well."

Mewtwo didn't respond. He just gave Giovanni a hateful look.

"I'm surprised that you know this girl," Giovanni continued.

_Pretend like you don't know me! _I called out telepathically. _If thinks we're friends, he'll try to exploit that! _

"He stole my Pokémon!" I shouted.

Giovanni turned to look at me.

"The reason we were talking is because he stole my Pokémon," I babbled. Well, it was true. He did steal my Pokémon back on New Island. "I tracked him down because I wanted them back!"

Giovanni stared at me.

"See, I can track my backpack, so I found him."

"And he didn't attack you on sight?" Giovanni said, not sounding as though he believed my story.

"Why would he think I'm a threat?" I asked. "I don't even have any Pokéballs, do I?"

"Yet you seemed awfully upset when he was captured."

"Of course! He's a strong Pokémon! I wanted to catch him myself! I don't want someone like him belonging to you!" I hoped Mewtwo wouldn't take that seriously.

Giovanni wasn't buying it.

"We'll see. I probably won't need your help anyway."

He turned back to Mewtwo.

"I've stolen a lot of Pokémon," Mewtwo growled. "The only other time I met her was when I took hers." Well, that was sort of true too. I hadn't seen him since the New Island incident.

"I don't care about that," Giovanni said. "She's worthless. The only thing I'm interested in is you. You can join me of your own free will, or I'll have to break your will."

"You're not strong enough to do that," Mewtwo retorted.

The bubble flashed again, and Mewtwo gave another cry of pain. When the light faded, he fell to the bottom of the bubble again.

He was shaking even worse when he stood up again. I was shaking too.

"You're mistaken," Giovanni replied calmly. "And I'll give you one last chance to follow me quietly."

I renewed my struggling against my bonds. Except I overbalanced and toppled onto my side, crushing my arm beneath me. I continued to wrench my arms around, trying to wriggle free. Just as I thought I was getting loose, Ariados appeared beside me and used String Shot again, pinning my arms even tighter to my sides. I swore and tried to kick out at him, but I missed. Ariados scuttled away.

Mewtwo cried out again, and I looked up. The bubble was filled with static once more, except this time it didn't fade. Mewtwo was doubled over in pain, twitching and moaning.

"Stop!" I shouted. "Stop it!"

Giovanni turned and raised an eyebrow at me. I knew I'd just betrayed that I cared about Mewtwo, but that didn't matter anymore. I had to stop him!

My mind flashed to one pathetic possibility: the psychic powers that were the source of my telepathy. When I'd been trapped before, I'd tried using my pathetic powers to untie a knot or unlock a door. That was far too complex for me. There was no way I'd be able to do anything about that machine holding Mewtwo. But there was one possibility…

_Darkrai? _

… _What? _

_Why were you obeying Team Rocket? _

_They forced me to. They caught me and put that band on my wrist. It hurt me if I disobeyed. _

_Can you help me? _

… _With what? _

_I need you to break the machine that's holding Mewtwo. If I can open the Pokéball you're in, will you sneak over there and do that? _

_Hmm. I suppose. _

_Thank you! Thank you so much! Hang on. Give me a second. _

I shut my eyes to focus on the Pokéball in my pocket. I could hear the crackling of the energy that was torturing Mewtwo, and I could hear him crying out in pain. I tried to shut that out. I focused all of my attention on the Pokéball. I pictured the button pressing down.

I heard a small click, and there was a dark flash. A shadow appeared on the ground in front of me, but no one noticed. They were all watching Mewtwo. He was curled up, his eyes shut and his teeth clehched. I winced and prayed that Darkrai would be able to release him.

A black arm reached up and tore through most of the web binding me. The arm vanished and the shadow rippled along the ground and came to pause directly beneath the machine. Then Darkrai rose up from the ground.

It took a moment for Giovanni to notice. But by then Darkrai released a fearsome volley of dark-type moves. Each of them crashed into the machine, denting and tearing through the metal. It sputtered, hissed, and then crashed to the ground, releasing a stream of smoke. Darkrai faded into the shadows, and then sped away into the mountains.

He'd run away.

But he'd done what he promised. The red bubble faded, and Mewtwo crashed to the ground. Giovanni started shouting something, and his followers started swarming around.

Mewtwo slowly stood up, and his eyes began to glow. The ground began to shine with a pale bule light, and a wind kicked up. Giovanni and the others seemed frozen in place.

I stood up and pulled the rest of the web off of me. I took a step backwards, but the blue light didn't seem to be affecting me.

The light faded. For a moment, Giovanni and the others stood there. Then they collapsed to the ground.

Mewtwo remained standing in place. He turned his head to me. "I erased their memories of me. They'll never come after me again. They're sleeping now. We should be able to get away before they… wake….." He swayed on his feet. I took several steps forwards, but I wasn't in time to catch him. He crumpled to the ground.

I knelt beside him and tried to shake him awake, but it was no use. Whatever the bubble had done to him had left him incredibly weak. But he'd given us time to escape.

I pulled Mewtwo's arm over my shoulder and wrapped my arm around him. He was heavy, but I managed to stand. I started walking back in the direction we'd come from. I had to get my backpack. I needed it to get back to Avalon. I tried to hoist Mewtwo higher onto my back, but he was bigger and heavier than me. His feet and tail were dragging on the ground. I could only shuffle my feet slowly forwards. I was starting to worry that Giovanni and the others would wake up before I could reach my bag. It had taken me forever just to drag Mewtwo out of the walled-in area.

Something moved off to my side. I jumped, expecting an attack. But it was only a shadow. A shadow that didn't seem to be cast by anything.

Darkrai rose up out of the shadow. I stopped, not sure what he'd do. Had he come back to help? I guess I had officially caught him, though I didn't know how he felt about that.

Darkrai and I stared at each other for a moment. Then he glided towards me. He took Mewtwo's free arm and the two of us were able to share his weight. We continued forwards, making much better time.

Finally we reached the area where Mewtwo and Darkrai had fought. We lay Mewtwo on the ground and I snatched my pack up.

I reached around inside until I found my Pokégear. I quickly called Ben.

The moment I saw his face, I said rather loudly, "BEN! I need you to send me Alakazam! I have to get home now!"

"Yeah, Okay," said Ben, alarmed by by behavior. "What happened?"

"I'll explain later."

"Okay. Give me a sec. I'll get Kinesis."

He disappeared from the viewer and I waited impatiently, continuing to glance in the direction we'd come in case Team Rocket was following us again. I expected them to appear at any moment and attack us. Finally Ben appeared on the screen again.

"Okay. Put the Pokéball you want to swap with against the receiver."

I snatched up the first Pokéball my fingers touched and held it up to the special connection on the Pokégear. It flashed, and then vanished. A moment later, another Pokéball appeared. I opened it releasing Kinesis, my Alakazam.

"We need to go back to Avalon," I said to Kinesis. I walked over and half lifted Mewtwo. Then I looked at Drakrai. I hesitated. "If you're coming, would it be okay if I put you back in the Pokéball? It's harder for Kinesis to teleport more people."

Darkrai stared at me. Then he gave a small nod of approval. I smiled slightly, and then returned him to Mewtwo's black pokeball. Fortunately when I'd caught Darkrai, Mewtwo's Pokéball hadn't connected with the transfer system. If Darkrai had been sent back to Avalon, I don't know what I would have done. Maybe we could get Ben and Mewtwo to hook his Pokéball up to the normal system later.

"Okay, Kinesis. Go."

"Kazam," Kinesis said. His eyes glowed, and I felt his energy surround me. The mountains vanished, and a moment later we in front of the house at Avalon.

Now what? Would a simple healing machine be enough to fix Mewtwo? Somehow I didn't think so. I'd need something more powerful. There was only one thing I could think of.

_Mew! Mew, I need your help, please! _

I jumped sky high when the front door burst open and Ben appeared. His mouth fell open when he saw me holding the motionless Mewtwo.

"What happened?" He exclaimed.

Then we were all distracted by the abrupt appeareance of an old friend. Mew had arrived.

"Mew! Thank goodness! I need your help! Please, Mewtwo was hurt. Can you heal him?"

Mew blinked at me, and then looked down at Mewtwo.

_Of course. Step back. _

I lay Mewtwo on the ground and stepped backwards.

Mew took a deep breath and landed beside Mewtwo. She closed her eyes and her body began to glow. The glow enveloped Mewtwo, releasing a healing energy. She held it there for nearly a full minute. I could feel the warmth coming from her. Then finally the light faded.

"Will he be all right?" I asked.

Mew nodded. _He'll be fine. He just needs to rest. _

"Thanks, Mew."

She nodded. _Of course. He is a part of me, after all. _

"Ben, can you help me? I want to bring Mewtwo inside and put him on a bed."

Ben nodded and he helped me lift Mewtwo. We carried him inside. Mew followed us. We lay Mewtwo down on one of the beds in a spare bedroom.

I stood there for a minute until Mew tugged at my sleeve.

_Let's leave him alone. He needs to sleep. _

I nodded and walked out of the room. Ben followed.


	29. Resolution

Sorry for the delay. It wouldn't let me upload my chapter for over a week. Crazy website.

So, I went through my old notes to see what I wrote after this part of the story. And I was startled that this was the last part of this section. I was also startled by how many of the chapters I'd written after this were incredibly lame. Anyway…

I've been trying to decide. Should I end this fanfic here and start up part 3? Or should I continue on with this part? Because part 3 would probably start with another time skip, and we'd move on to Hoenn. Since the first part was Kanto, and this part is Johto…

I haven't the faintest idea what I'm talking about.

But I'm probably as surprised as you that this might actually be the last chapter. Cause I'm not sure how to end it. ^-^' So, if it is, I hope you'll stick around for the next installment! See ya then!

Resolution

I opened my eyes and found myself on the couch. I'd fallen asleep in the living room, waiting for Metwo to wake up. Mew was curled up against me, still snoozing.

I sat up slowly, trying not to wake Mew. I felt something in my pocket and reached down to find Darkrai's Pokéball. I hesitated and then pocketed it again. I wanted to check on Mewtwo before I did anything else.

With Mew tucked in one arm, I opened the door to Mewtwo's room. He was curled on his side, his tail curving up in front of him. He was breathing deeply, sound asleep.

I set Mew down beside him and walked outside. I let Darkrai out and the two of us faced each other.

"Thanks for your help," I said. "We couldn't have done it without you."

Darkrai nodded. "Thank you too."

Pause.

"How's your friend doing?" Darkrai asked.

"Mewtwo? I… think he'll be all right. He's still sleeping. He was hurt pretty bad."

"I wish him the best of luck."

"Me too. I'm going to check on him. You can look around Avalon if you want."

Darkrai nodded and floated up into the air, gliding away to explore the island.

I walked back inside. Mewtwo was still sleeping. I sat down against the wall and watched the morning sun pour in through the window. Mew woke up and settled herself on my lap again. We waited. My mind wandered, loosing itself in a maze of thought.

I heard the faintest shifting sound and sat up, knocking an indignant Mew to the floor.

Mewtwo was stirring.

He slowly opened his eyes and pushed himself up to a sitting position. He winced.

"Are you okay?" I asked, scrambling to my feet and went to his side. Mew landed on my shoulder.

Mewtwo glanced down at his hands, and then looked up at us.

"I think I'm in much better shape than I might have been. I do ache a little though."

"It's not too bad?" I asked, concerned. I was shaking slightly. I was so afraid that he'd still be in real pain. He'd been in such agony up on that mountain… I was afraid that he was going to die.

"Are you cold?" Mewtwo asked, noting my shivering.

I shook my head, tying to suppress the shivers. "No. Uh… worried maybe," I muttered, feeling stupid as I said it.

"Mew healed you," I explained. "I called her once we got back to Avalon, and she helped you recover."

"Thank you," Mewtwo said, bowing his head gratefully.

"Mew," she said, smiling.

Then Mewtwo turned to me. "Thank you."

"Huh?" I said, startled.

"You helped me escape."

Pause.

"I should be thanking you," I replied, "For wiping Team Rocket's memory. At least now you'll be safe, and they won't be after me either. The only problem is that Giovanni doesn't know how badly he failed against us," I said, clenching my fist in a victory pose.

Mewtwo smiled.

"Come on," I said. "Let's go outside so you can see your clones again. And their little ones. And you haven't met Hari either. He's always playing with the babies."

Mewtwo slowly stood up. I reached out, ready to steady him if he needed it. But he remained on his feet and started walking to the door.

Mewtwo, Mew, and I went through the living room and out the front door. We stood blinking in the sunlight, gazing across the field.

Mew flitted away to gather the clones together.

"Come on. I'll take you to the day care area," I said. I glanced behind me. "I wonder where Ben and Hari are? Hari is probably out in the woods, but Ben might be inside…"

Mewtwo seemed to be regaining most of his strength, but he continued to walk instead of float.

"You doing okay?" I asked.

Mewtwo nodded and continued moving forwards.

I suppose it wasn't the best idea to have him walk across the field when he'd just woken up… But seeing his old friends would probably make him feel better.

Half way across the field, he paused again. I waited beside him and he took several deep breaths. I hesitated, and then reached out to steady him.

Then we continued walking again.

"We're almost there," I said as we entered the shade of the forest. "It's just a little ways further to the glade."

"Okay."

"Wait," I said, pausing.

Suddenly Hari's face appeared directly in front of mine. I was so startled that my reflexes nearly made me smack him in the head. I took several steps backwards.

"Don't _do_ that," I gasped. He was hanging upside down from a tree branch above me, hence his sudden appearance.

Mewtwo starred at us.

"Oh, Mewtwo, this is Hari. Hari, Mewtwo."

"Hi!" Hari said, dropping from the tree, and flipping around in midair to land on his feet. "Everyone's waiting, right by the creek," Hari continued. "That way Gyarados and Lapras could come too."

"My clones?" Mewtwo asked.

Hari nodded, grinning. "They talk about you a lot. They miss you, and they're excited to see you again."

Mewtwo smiled.

"Come on. I'll show you," Hari said, leading the way. "It's really close!"

Mewtwo and I followed him until we heard the sound of the creek. We passed a bush, and suddenly found ourselves facing a large crowd of Pokémon.

Mewtwo stepped closer to them.

Pisky, the Pikachu moved forwards to greet him. Then the rest of the clones as well as their babies crowded around him, making happy sounds.

I glanced to the side as I saw movement. Ben was here too. We grinned at each other and he gave me the thumbs up. I returned the gesture. Although Hari dove straight into the party, Ben and I were content to sit to the side and watch. Except that Patch, the Charizard came over and caught me in his wing, dragging me into the crowd. He repeated the gesture with Ben.

Within moments, I found myself buried in baby Charizard and Gyarados, while Mewtwo had little Vaporeon, Rhyhorn, and Nidoqueen surrounding him.

Ben and Hari and I were laughing, safe and surrounded by friends.


End file.
